Trapped! (YandereNarutoVariousXReader)
by Yuko1000
Summary: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the world of Naruto? Well, I do. Constantly. So here it is, living, training, and surviving in the world of Naruto. The story, anime, and characters all belong to their respective owners. I'm just having fun.
1. Chapter One: Enter (YN) (LN)

"AHHHHH!" I screamed in anger, glaring up at the paint splattered all over the Hokage's faces. I clenched my fists angrily, stomping furiously into the ground. Laughter soon filled my ears, I quickly turned around to see Naruto running with a large bucket of paint in his hand. "Curse you Naruto!" I screamed at him, waving my fist in the air as he ran past me with a large grin on his face. "Come back here!" I heard someone call out, chasing after Naruto full force. Digging my heel into the ground, I growled as I started marching my way back to class. "That idiot used enchanted paint, that's gonna be so hard to get off!" I whined, slumping my head down at I kept on walking.

"I'm at the end of my rope Naruto!" Iruka-sensei said, crossing his arms as he looked down at Naruto. I slid into class, plopping down in my seat. Iruka-sensei was lecturing Naruto again, I hope he finally knocks some sense into him before I do! I though, clenching my fists underneath my desk. "Tomorrow you've got another chance, and you're messing up again!" Iruka looked seriously annoyed, Naruto turned his head away and simply said "Hmph!" Why I oughta!

"Fine!" Iruka-sensei shouted, turning and pointing to the rest on the class. "Because you missed it, Naruto, everyone will review the transformation jutsu!" Iruka-sensei grinned as he listened to the whole class room erupt in a synchronized groan. We all sluggishly lined up in the front of the class, I was the first in ling. "Man, this sucks..." I mumbled to myself, putting my hands in front of my chest. In a cloud of smoke I appeared identical to Iruka-sensei. "You transformed into me, good." He nodded, jotting it down on his clipboard. In a small puff I turned back into my usual self. With a yawn I dragged myself back to my seat. "Next..." Iruka trailed off, watching Sakura stand in front of him. "Alright, Sakura here! Let's do this! Transform!" She smiled, turning into Iruka-sensei just like I did. "Okay...good..." Iruka-sensei mumbled, continually writing on his clip board. "Yes, yes, yes! Sasuke, did you see that?!" Sakura smiled at him, he some how seemed not to acknowledge her. "Next, Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka called out in a dull tone, not bothering to look up from his clip board as Sasuke walked out in front of him. With out saying a word, or even moving, he transformed into Iruka-sensei. "Good..." Iruka mumbled, starting to get board. Something about that guy Sasuke gave me the creeps, and it didn't help that we shared the same table. Sasuke walked back to his seat, glaring at me the entire way. "Next, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto looked up, his hands placed on his hips. "This is a real pain..." Shikamaru sighed, leaning his head back. "We're always paying for your screw ups!" Ino whined, watching Naruto walk up to Iruka. "Like I care." He said, I shook my head disapprovingly.

"Transform!" Naruto yelled out, chakra flowing through his fingers. In a puff of smoke Naruto turned into a naked girl, I face palmed. "HUH?!" Iruka-sensei gasped, falling back with blood spraying from his nose. "Ha! Gotcha!" Naruto broke out in laughter. "That's my sexy jutsu!" He said with a big grin. "CUT THE STUPID TRICKS!" Iruka-sensei screamed, exploding with anger just like I had done that morning. "THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"

Everyone finished their transformation jutsu reviews, all turning into Iruka-sensei, it annoyed me that I couldn't tell if they were all trying to copy me or just couldn't come up with any one else to transform into. The day passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to go home. Sighing, I walked back to the Hokage, watching Naruto scrub off the paint. He was mumbling under his breath as Iruka watched him clean. "You're not going home until you've cleaned off every drop of paint!" Iruka shouted with his arms crossed, I started walking towards the foot of the mountain. "Hey (Y/N)!" I heard some one from behind call out, I turned to see Sakura running towards me with a smile on her face. "Oh, hey..." I mumbled, resting my hands in my pockets. "Do you want to come over to my place? I got this new board game and I'd love to play it with you!" She seemed happier than usual, it almost seemed off. "I would, but there's some stuff I got to take care of. Maybe tomorrow." I lied, looking at the ground I started to turn back to the mountain. "Oh, alright then..." She muttered, turning the opposite way from me. I walked up to the stone, and placed my hand on the rock. "Well, I was just thinking, after you clean this all up, we could go out for some ramen. What do ya say?" Iruka-sensei asked Naruto, looking down at him with a wide smile. "Now that's motivation!" Naruto grinned, I slowly sank my hand into the stone, pushing slowly as I continued to watch Naruto clean. Holding my breath, I threw my self into the mountain, regaining my balance as I stood on the other side of the thin stone wall.

I lived inside the great stone faces, a simple place that no one ever though to check. I was proud of my home, it took me some time to carve it all out without any one from below noticing. I lived by myself for most of my life, my father left for a mission out side of the village right before I was born and hasn't been back since, and my mother died giving birth to me. My brother, a few years older, never forgave me for the death of our mother and left me as a child wandering the streets alone.

I dragged myself up the cold stone steps, wishing that I could have made an elevator. A small slithering caught my attention as I thudded up the steps, a small smile grew on my face. "Oh, I've missed you so much!' I sighed, feeling my beloved snake Kale slither onto my shoulders. Giggling, I petted the top of his head as he tightened his body around my neck. His little black tongue came up and hit my cheek in a slobbery kiss. I cuddled my face down into his scales, he was surprisingly soft for a snake. He was shiny, the color of midnight, and as cute as he was poisonous. "Man, I'm beat." I yawned, complaining to him as I stumbled up the stairs. I raised my hand, throwing it to the side listening as the heavy rock door swung out of my way. "I've got a test tomorrow, I'm going to bed." I slid through the door, moving it closed with a slight bang. Kale dropped down on my chest, wanting to play instead of sleep. "But, hey," I called for his attention. He sluggishly looked up at me with slightly sad eyes. "I'll bring you to school for the test tomorrow!" I grinned down at his as I saw light return into his eyes. "Oh, you are adorable!" I squealed, petting his head as I walked towards my bedroom, I was dead tired.

"We will now begin our final exam." Iruka-sensei began as we all got seated, Kale was wrapped tightly around my neck fast asleep, he must of been so excited to come here last night he could go to bed. Most people thought he was a necklace he was so still. "When your name is called proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on the clone jutsu." Iruka-sensei read to us all off a piece of crumpled paper, I sighed in relief. I got this one in the bag!

A few names got called before me, but the wait wasn't the thing making me on edge, it was that Sasuke kid, every few seconds his eyes would shift over to me and then back at his hands. It really made me annoyed. "(Y/N) (L/N)." Iruka-sensei called out my name, I hopped up from my seat eagerly. I jumped down the stairs and followed him into the testing room. Maybe that Sasuke guy wanted to be my friend, but is too shy to say anything. He is very quiet in class, I wondered walking down the hall with Iruka-sensei. He opened up a white door in the left of the hall. I followed close behind, watching him close the door as we entered. There was a small table on the far side of the room, Iruka sat down at it, an equal length from Mizuki-sensei. I walked into the middle of the room, facing Iruka and Mizuki-sensei. "You may begin." Iruka-sensei nodded, watching as I put my hands in front of my chest. "Clone jutsu!" I shouted, watching as two identical copies of me jumped out of smoke clouds on both sides. "Nicely done (Y/N), I wouldn't of expected anything else from you." Iruka-sensei smiled, I couldn't help but smile back watching as my clones evaporated.

"You pass." Mizuki-sensei said with a smile, excitement bubbled up inside of me. I edged closer to the table, watching silently as Iruka-sensei grabbed onto one of the headbands in front of him, he placed it in my hand. The soft blue fabric balanced in my hand. "Thank you for everything Iruka-sensei!" I couldn't help but smile, he smiled back. Eagerly I walked towards the door, pushing it open quietly. I turned down the hallway, the opposite direction of the classroom. "Psst, Kale, wake up." I whispered, nudging the snake awake. Sleepily he moved off my neck and onto my shoulders. Triumphantly I tied the Leaf band around my neck, grinning the entire time. Kale slithered back around my neck, laying back down inside of the headband. It was adorable. I walked out the front doors, met by a crowd of my peers and parents, everyone passed...everyone but Naruto. He sat alone on a swing far off across the field, slowly moving. "(Y/N)!" Sakura called out, smiling as she saw the headband I proudly wore on my neck. "I have to do something, maybe tomorrow." I mumbled to her, moving quickly out of the crowed. Naruto pulled down his goggles, looking like he was about to cry. "Hey punk," I grinned resting my arm on his head, he jumped slightly. "H-Hey!" He said startled, flicking his goggles back on his forehead. "Come on, it isn't that bad." I bent down, matching his height. "Easy for you to say, you didn't fail." Naruto's head sunk down, "You can always try again, and, hey, I'll help you learn the clone jutsu!" I smiled, feeling Kale start to turn, I instantly looked behind me. "Mizuki-sensei?" I asked, standing back up. He smiled sweetly, "Can I talk to you guys?" He asked, his voice as smooth as silk. Me and Naruto looked at each other briefly, before turning back and nodding. We all disappeared almost instantly.

I sat comfortably on the ledge, next to Naruto, Mizuki close to him. I dangled my feet off, kicking them as I looked up at the sunset. It was beautiful. "Iruka-sensei's tough, but he's not against you." Mizuki began, I relaxed, leaning back I balanced on my hands. "Then why? Why did I only fail?" Naruto asked, looking down at the empty street below him. "He wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that will never happen if he goes easy on you." Mizuki-sensei said softly, his gaze shifting towards me and Naruto. I looked over to Naruto, starting to feel the same pain that was drawn onto his features. "He's like the two of you, no parents, no family." Mizuki's eyes looked into mine. "Huh?" I whispered, clenching my fists lightly. I could feel my heart ache with every word Mizuki-sensei said. "But this time, I really wanted to graduate." Naruto sighed, looking up at Mizuki. I scooted closer to Naruto, looking down. "Heh, then I guess I have to tell you guys." Mizuki-sensei said with a grin, rubbing the back of his neck. Both of us turned to him, our eyes begging to tell us what. "It's a secret, but I'm going to let the two of you in on it." I hopped that whatever the secret was, it would help Naruto pass.

Mizuki banged viciously on the door. "Iruka-sensei, wake up!" He shouted, slightly out of breath. He had ran there as fast as he could. Iruka rushed to the door, swinging it open with a worried look. "What?! What is it Mizuki?" He asked, his heart racing. "It's Naruto and (Y/N)! They stole the sacred scroll!" Mizuki shouted, fear turning in his stomach. "You mean the scroll of sealing?! No!" Iruka-sensei's shouts echoes into the night.

"Let's see..." I leaned over Naruto's shoulder, reading the scroll along with him. "The first one is multishadow clone jutsu..." He read out loud, his voice trailing off with the wind. "Not this again!" He cried, "Ha!" I grinned, "Guess you really have to learn it!" I smiled as he face palmed. "Hey. don't sweat it, I'll help the best I can." I said, ruffling his hair, "But, if I ever catch you vandalizing the Hokage again, I'll beat ya senseless!" I shouted at him, holding up my fist menacingly.

"Lord Hokage, this is not just some prank! This is a serious crime!" "That scroll contains secrets that were sealed by the first Hokage, secrets known only to our village!" "If it falls into the wrong hands, it could destroy our entire way of life." Ninja shouted worriedly to Lord Hokage, fear in their eyes. Mizuki and Iruka-sensei ran into the crowd, just as worried as everyone else. "Alright. Bring them here at once." Lord Hokage commanded, "Sir!" The entire crowd shouted at once, all leaving in a puff of smoke.

 _Now that I've told everyone what Naruto and that brat (Y/N) did I can eliminate them both. Everyone'll be glad they're gone, and of course I keep the scroll all for myself!_ Mizuki-sensei thought out his evil plans, running quickly to the place where he left Naruto and (Y/N), smiling at his well thought plan to take the scroll.

"I knew-" I gasped for air mid sentence, falling back on the grass with Naruto. "I knew you could do it!" I ginned over to him, he smiled back, just as tired as I was. "It's alllll over!" We turned our heads to meet Iruka-sensei. He was standing over us with a dark grin, visibly shaking with anger as he laughed manically. I smiled, rubbing the back of my neck as Naruto started to giggle. "Ha, you caught us!" Naruto said with a big smile. Iruka-sensei furrowed his brow, looking at us confused, his lips mouthed a silent _huh?_ "Caught us already, not bad!" Naruto looked up at him as I yawned. "You're quick sensei, I only had time to learn one technique, and even (Y/N) helped!" We both smiled at each other, feeling proud of our accomplishments. Iruka-sensei stood up straight, looming over us deep in thought. _They've been out here practicing, I can tell how hard they've been working!_ Iruka-sensei put his hand up to his chin. "Iruka-sensei! Naruto learned the move from the scroll! You can pass him now!" I clapped my hands together, excited that all of our work had paid off. "That's how it works, right?" Naruto asked with a grin, his blue eyes blazing.

"Huh? Where'd you two get an idea like that?" Iruka-sensei asked, his face mirroring our confusion. "But Mizuki-sensei…"I whispered to myself, standing up to face Iruka. "Mizuki-sensei told us! Believe it!" Naruto said jumping up with a raised fist. "He told us where to find the scroll, and this place…" Naruto turned around, showing the scroll he had slung over his back. _Huh? Mizuki?_ Iruka though, listening a slight swishing in the wind. He looked behind with wide eyes. "Look out!" He shouted, kicking us out of the way with his right leg before we had time to acknowledge what he was screaming about. I scampered up on the grass, standing up on two shaking legs. Naruto was flat on the grass stunned. Kunai Knives flew down from above, hitting Iruka-sensei in the leg and pinning him to the shed Mizuki told us to meet him at. "No!" I screamed, starting to dash towards Iruka but a voice stopped me. "I see you've found our little hide away." Mizuki called out from the trees, I could feel my heart stop. "So that's the way it is, huh? I should've known!" Iruka-sensei gasped out out, his body starting to react to the sudden hit. "Naruto! Give me the scroll now!" MIzuki shouted down at him, Naruto seemed frozen, I glared up at Mizuki with eyes full of anger. "Wait a minute. What's going on here?" Naruto asked, his gaze switching from Iruka, to me, Mizuki, and back. "Don't let Mizuki get the scroll!" Iruka-sensei said, gasping out in pain as he pulled the knife out of his leg. "It contains forbidden jutsu that could put this village in grave danger." Iruka said through deep short breaths. "Mizuki used you two to get the scroll for him, for his own power!" Both me and Naruto tensed up, readying ourselves to protect Iruka-sensei and the scroll. "Iruka's just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you two to have the scroll." Mizuki looked down at us, one hand resting on his hip, the other leaning on the tree. His once soft voice turned harsh and cold, it scared me. Naruto and me looked at each other as if we could share the same thoughts, and the same confusion. "Huh?" I said in a shaky voice, fear growing over my features. "Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you!" Iruka shouted to us, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Oh, I'll tell you who's really been lying," Mizuki said laughing, we turned our attention back on him. "No Mizuki!" Iruka-sensei shouted at him, straining his neck. "They've been lying to you your entire life!" Mizuki shouted at ua, pointing down with a menacing finger. "Since the decree twelve years ago, and the ban that took place the day after." "What decree?" Naruto asked, looking up at Mizuki with wide eyes. "Yeah, and what ban?!" I shouted up at him. "Everyone knows about the decree except you Naruto. Ha, and you (Y/N), did you really believe your father has been on a mission your entire life?" Mizuki was grinning ear to ear, my head shot up. "What?" I asked, my voice starting to loose its strength. I started shaking with fear and anger, clenching my fists. "Iruka's trying to hide it from you, even now! He'd do anything to shut me up." Mizuki was grabbing onto the tree tightly, I could hear it creak under his hand. "What is this decree?" Naruto pressed, stepping a small step closer, I kept my eyes pinned on Mizuki. "And what do you mean by calling out my father like that? He was a hero!" I screamed, tears starting to form in my eyes. "DON'T TELL THEM! IT'S FORBIDDEN!" Iruka's voice reached a new octave, making me jump slightly at his sudden screech. "Your father was the worst ninja to ever grace the village, he fled from the village after killing his entire clan during the nine-tails attack, and the decree." Mizuki's words cut into my chest like knives, hot tears fell down my cheeks. I fell onto my knees. "The decree is that no one can tell you, Naruto, that the nine-tailed fox is inside of you!" I held my hands to my ears, trying to ignore Mizuki's words. "STOP IT!" I heard Iruka scream, his pained voice drawing me back to earth.

"They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life! Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt, like they hated you for just being alive!" Mizuki's words were like venom, they stung, leaving us for dead. Kale tightened around my neck, fast asleep. "No, no, no ,no!" Naruto shouted, as he readied himself to attack, chakra surrounded the area around him. I quickly stood up, brushing away my tears as I raised my face. "That's why you will never be accepted in our village. Even your beloved sensei hated your guts!" Mizuki had a sickening grin on his face as he watched Iruka breathing heavily in pain, his hands hovered over his wounded leg. The words Lord Hokage had told him came rushing back, it was many years ago when Naruto and (Y/N) first became his students, but to him it felt like yesterday. _Iruka, they never had a mother or father to care for them, they're shut out of everything and they don't know why. Most people wouldn't even look at them. How would you feel if everywhere you went people turned their backs on you? That's why Naruto's constantly getting in trouble, and why (Y/N) is always trying to be the best in class, so people will notice them. They may not show it, but they're always thinking about the family they don't have. They're hurting on the inside._

 _"_ Die!" Mizuki shouted, throwing the shuriken he had on his back at us. "Ah!" Naruto gasped, grabbing me by the hand as he tried to run away. "GET DOWN!" Iruka-sensei shouted, and before I knew it I felt a warm on holding onto me tightly. I slowly opened my eyes, half of my face was buried in Iruka-sensei's chest, the shuriken Mizuki threw was sticking out of his back. I couldn't stop the tears the were running down my face, I shook like a fallen leaf, not wanting to let go of Iruka. "W-Why?" I cried out, my eyes burning. "Because we're the same." He breathed out, small drops of his blood splattered on my clothes.

"When I lost my parents no one seemed to care, they didn't have time for me, they just forgot I was there, my grades dropped, I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me, and to know my name. My school work wasn't good enough to get their attention, so I did crazy things, and I had to pay for it. It was hard." Tears fell from Iruka-sensei's eyes, I couldn't handle it. Everything was coming undone. "I know that's how you feel, you feel lonely and it hurts inside, and I could have been there for you more. I let you down. I'm sorry. No one should have to suffer that much, no one should be alone like that." "Don't make me laugh!" Mizuki's voice made me tense up instantly, the burning in my eyes didn't stop, it got worse. I clenched my fists at the pain. "Iruka always hated you. He was orphaned because the nine-tailed fox killed his parents, and that beast is not inside you-" "SHUT UP!" I screamed, standing on my feet lightning fast, but before I knew it, I was tugged the other way. "Wait!" Iruka gasped for breath, more blood dripping on the grass. "Wait!" Iruka held his hand up as we ran, Naruto didn't let go of my arm.

"You know, once they make up their minds, nothing can change it. They're going to use the scroll to take revenge on the village." Mizuki's smile came back onto his face as he jumped off the tree he had been perched on the entire time. "You saw (Y/N)'s eyes didn't you? Just like their father's, those are the eyes of evil." Mizuki stood behind Iruka, watching as he pulled the shuriken out of his back with a painful grunt. "No..." Iruka breathed as he got up off the ground, his legs shaking slightly. "They...they aren't like that!" Iruka's voice came back strong as he threw the shuriken back at Mizuki. He dodged it easily. "Heh, your a joke." Mizuki turned his head away from him, Iruka fell back to the ground. "As soon as I eliminate those brats and get the scroll, I'll be back for you." Mizuki ran off in the same direction as Naruto, listening to his heavy stomps on tree branches as he ran.

"Naruto! Everything Mizuki said was a lie! Give me the scroll, hurry!" Iruka-sensei shouted as he followed Naruto as quickly as he could. "He's coming after you to take it away!" Naruto stopped on a branch, watching as Iruka skidded to a halt. Suddenly Naruto ran towards Iruka, kicking him with all his strength in the gut. Iruka tumbled to the ground in a loud thud. Naruto quietly jumped off, gasping for air. "It can't be..." Iruka was struggling to get up, watching Naruto rest his back on a tree out of the corner of his eye. I shook silently. "How did you know, Naruto, how did you know?" Mizuki's voice was starting to become more clearer as he transformed back into his normal self. "That it was me not Iruka?" Naruto and I hid behind a tree, holding onto each other tightly as we shook violently. Iruka-sensei laugh as he transformed back into himself, resting on the tree for support. "Because I'm Iruka"

"You're a fool. Why are you protecting those freaks?" Iruka and Mizuki stared at each other angrily, I covered Naruto's mouth with my left hand as he covered mine with his right, we were focusing on the confrontation between them. "He's the one who wiped out your family!" "I don't care what you say." Iruka turned his head away from Mizuki, reminding me of how Naruto was acting in class yesterday. "You're not getting your hands on that scroll." Iruka said bluntly, I tried my best to calm down whenever I heard Iruka's voice, but when Mizuki spoke, all I could do was quiver. I trusted him, I thought he was a good guy, trying to help Naruto out, but I was wrong. Dead wrong.

"As if you could stop me. Don't you get it? They are both just like me." "How's that?" "They want the scroll for their own power and their own vengeance. That's how beasts are. They'll pour all their rage into the scroll and destroy everything!" "You're right..." Iruka-sensei's words stuck to me. _Y-You're right?_ I thought, standing dead still, Naruto couldn't hold back his tears anymore. I felt wetness on my shoulder, as I looked over Naruto was crying like a baby. _So it is true, Iruka-sensei never believed in me. He thinks I'm some beast! Some kind of freak!_ Thought swirled around Naruto's head, I couldn't take it. I gave Naruto a giant hug around the wait, sinking my face into his sweat drenched orange jumpsuit. "Stop crying..." I whispered as quietly as I could, hugging him tighter as every second went by.

"That is how beasts are, but that's not how (Y/N) and Naruto are. They're nothing like that. They're special, they work hard, and they put their whole heart into it. Sure they mess up some times, and everyone jumps at them, but their suffering only makes them stronger. That's what separates them from being monsters. They are nothing like what you said, they are ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!" Naruto hugged me tighter, I looked up at his face, he was smiling down at me. "You really believe that drivel?" Mizuki was looking down at Iruka in disgust, I felt anger bubble up inside of me. Mizuki grabbed onto his last shuriken, "Iruka, I really was going to save you for later, but I've changed my mind! You're finished!" As if it was my cue, I ran out from behind the tree and hit Mizuki in his arm as hard as I could, I heard it crack under my fist. "AH!" He gasped in pain, dropping his shuriken on the grass. "N-Not bad for a-a little punk!" Mizuki hissed, grabbing onto his arm tightly, his blood dripped into the grass. "If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll kill you!" I shouted back furiously at Mizuki, a strange feeling running through my fingers. "S-Such big words, I can completely destroy you with a single move!" His bluff sounded pathetic with a wounded arm. "I'd love to see you try, but it's not my move right now." I grinned, watching Naruto run out from behind the tree, skidding to a halt in front of me. Naruto raised his hands in front of his chest, "Shadow clone jutsu!" He shouted as loud as he could. It seemed like millions of Naruto's copies filled the forest, Iruka-sensei was in shock.

 _Those aren't just illusions, they're solid clones! He's mastered an extremely advanced jutsu!_ Iruka-sensei thought to himself, a small smile coming to his lips. "Huh?! W-What is this?!" Mizuki shouted, looking around like a frightened child. Naruto's voice boomed around him from all sides, he fell to the ground, baking up like a coward. "If you're not coming, then we're going to come after you!" Naruto grinned, watching Mizuki whimper. Naruto's clones went charging in on him, in a fit of panic and fear Mizuki screamed. Punches and kicks were thrown at him from all around.

"Are you alright Iruka-sensei?" I asked, kneeling down on the ground next to him. "Yeah, I'm good." He said with a smile, trying his best to stand up. Soon Naruto's clones evaporated, leaving Naruto looking down at Mizuki passed out on the floor with a broken nose. "Sorry, I kinda got carried away." Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "You okay Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, looking deeply concerned as Iruka stood up. "Oh, uh, yeah I'm fine." He smiled back, leaning his back on the tree behind him. "Hey, Naruto, would you come here for a minute?" Iruka-sensei asked, I looked up at him curiously.

'You're telling me no one could find them?" "Not a clue." "This is bad news, we need to smoke them out or something!" Worried shouts sounded up as all the searchers joined back together, Lord Hokage came stepping out into the court yard where they all were. "There's no longer and need to worry." He said with a small smile, stopping their chatter. "The scrolls safe, they'll be back soon."

"Sensei, how much longer?" Naruto whined, I couldn't help but giggle. "Hey, what you laughing at? You two better not be doing anything funny to my face!" Naruto complained, me and Iruka smiled at each other. "Okay, you can open up your eyes now." Iruka nodded as he finished tying on Naruto's head band. The sun broke through the clouds, small slithers of sunlight poked through the forest trees, illuminating the area around us. "Congratulations." I couldn't help but smile as Iruka-sensei held those old goggles in his hand. "You graduate." Iruka ruffled Naruto's spiky hair, he still had a shocked face. "And to celebrate, I'm taking you two out for ramen tonight!" Naruto lunged at Iruka in a giant hug, making him fall back into the tree. "H-Hey! That hurts!" We all started laughing, the smile wouldn't go away from my face. But I knew that this was just the beginning of a very long adventure together.


	2. Sasuke and Sakura, Friends or Foes?

"Congratulations, I should say." The voice boomed like a speaker around my head, I looked around wearily, still tired from the forest. It was dark, I could faintly see a figure looking at me from afar, they must be the one talking. "But you're still weak, you need more power..." Slowly, the voice started to loose its strength. I knew it all too well, the same voice, same person would come to meet me at night. They would just pop up once in a while to talk to me, to say the same exact thing, _I'm still too weak._

"Who are you?" I called out, the same question I would ask, every time. "You will know soon enough," Now that's new, "the time will come when you have reached my level." I shivered. "What in the world are you talking about?" I shook my head, crossing my arms as I tried to understand what was going on. "Train harder...I'll reveal myself...don't disappoint me..." As the last words faded away, I could feel a hard push, jolting me awake. I got ready for the day.

Kale was loosely hanging from my shoulders, fully recharged and ready for whatever the day held, I was excited. "Hey, Naruto!" I shouted, jumping up on his windowsill. "Gah!" He gasped, jumping straight out of his cover. "(Y-Y/N)?! What are you doing here?!" Naruto shouted, sitting up straight as he looked at me with sleepy eyes. "I thought I would walk with you to the academy, but it looks like to me that you decided to sleep in." I glared in through the window, my hands resting on my hips. Yawning, Naruto thew his walrus hat to the other side of the bed. "Let me eat some breakfast first, then we'll talk..." Naruto said sleepily, his eyes half closed as he stumbled off the bed. "Hey, wait!" I knocked on the window lightly. "What?" He looked back at me, halfway to the kitchen. "What you havin?" I asked, feeling my stomach rumble. "You're not getting any of my instant ramen!" He shouted, becoming fully awake as he darted towards the kitchen. "Fine! It's not like I wanted it anyway." I turned my head away. "I'll just wait out here..." I crossed my arms as I jumped down from his window.

"Finally." I sighed, feeling like I had spent an eternity waiting for him to get ready. "Let's go!" He said with a big smile, jumping from the window to meet me on the ground. "I've been super excited for this day!" I smiled, resting my hands in my pockets as we started walking towards the academy. "Me too!" looking as happy as I was, but the dream from last night stuck with me. "Hey, whats that on your neck?" Naruto asked, pointing at kale moving around in my head band. "Oh, it's just Kale!" I said, picking him up to show Naruto, Kale looked as cute as ever. Naruto shivered. "You brought that thing along with you?" He raised his eye brow as I rubbed him against my cheek, "Isn't he adorable?" I said with a small giggle as Kale licked my face. "Uh...yeah...sure..." Naruto said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're mine, Naruto!" A little kid shouted, making me turn my head as he tried to run towards us, but tripped over the lame box costume he was wearing, I started to crack up. "Uh, what do you think you're doing, Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, watching him lay on the floor. "You know this kid?" I asked, also looking down at him. "That was a slick move. That's why I respect you as a rival." Konohamaru said, scampering up to his knees. _Rival?_ I thought to myself. "But I didn't do anything..." Naruto's voice trailed off. Konohamaru got up on his feet, clenching his fists. "Alright, now fight me, fair and square!" The kid shouted, I raised my brow. "You can't be serious..." I mumbled to myself. "Sorry, we've got an orientation to go to." Naruto explained, I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently. "Orientation?" The kid whined, looking up at Naruto with big eyes. "That's right! As of today, I'm a ninja! Believe it!" I rolled my eyes. "Wow!" Konohamaru said in astonishment, looking at Naruto with a big goofy grin.

We continued on, finding our way to the academy with some time to spare. Most of our classmates were buzzing around the classroom, I plopped down on my seat, and almost in an instant, Sasuke was sitting next to me. "Y'Know, there are plenty of other seats open..." I grumbled to him, he stayed silent. Naruto ambled his way through the class room, he stayed behind for a short bathroom break. "This isn't for dropouts, you can't be here unless you graduate." Shikamaru said matter-of-factly as Naruto passed by his table behind me. "Oh, yeah? Do you see this," Naruto pointed to his forehead with his thumb. "Do you see this? Open your eyes, Shikamaru, it's a regulation head band. We're going to be training together, how do you like that?" Naruto grinned, resting his hands on top of Shikamaru's desk. "Hmp." Shikamaru turned his head away, resting his hands on his hips. "Let me put it this way, I look great in this headgear, like it was made for me. Believe it!" I snickered quietly, surprised as I heard another small giggle come from behind. I looked to see Hinata looking at me with a small smile before turning away with a red face.

Sakura and Ino came bursting through the classroom doors, shoulder to shoulder as they tried to wiggle in. I looked at them with a confused look. "I'm first!" They both shouted simultaneously, looking at each other angrily. "I won again, Sakura!" Ino said with a grin, resting her hands on her hips sassily. "Give it up, I had to look back to see you! My toe was at least a tenth of an inch ahead!" "Have you always been this delusional?" They both bickered at each other, I rolled my eyes, but to my surprise, they had gone quiet. I looked back up to see Sakura glaring down at our table with a smile, I waved at her with a smile, wondering if she knew what was going to happen today. Her pink hair swayed side to side as she skipped down the stairs, "Hey, Sakura, how-" She passed me with out a second thought, I stayed there motionless with my hand still in the air. "Good morning Sasuke! Mind if I sit next to you?" Sakura asked kindly, pointing to the open seat between me and him, _she's insane,_ I sighed, turning back to face my desk. _I still don't understand how anyone could have a crush on that creep._

"Back off forehead, I'm sitting next to Sasuke!" Ino shouted, pushing Sakura out of the way. _What a headache._ "I was here first!" "I walked into the class room before you did, every one saw it!" "Dream on." "Actually, I got here before either of you!" A short girl shouted, I looked over at the group of girls starting to form around our table, _It's just like our first day, these idiots did the same thing!_ I covered my ears, trying to block out there shouting, but it didn't work, I slowly started sinking into my seat. "So did I! I'm sitting next to Sasuke!" A girl with an obnoxiously high voice called out, crossing her arms. Sasuke looked over to me, I just shrugged my shoulders. _Clueless..._ Sasuke thought to himself, shrugging back before turning his head away from me. _At least some one else understands how annoying this is._ I nodded, still trying to block out their shouting. "Why doe's (Y/N) get to sit there?!" A girl called out, pointing at me menacingly, I raised my hands in defense. "Hey, I'm not a part of this!" I gulped.

"There's a problem," Lord Hokage explained, looking deeply into the crystal ball. Teachers surrounded him, looking at him with worried faces. "There's a student too many, _four_ will be assigned to a group." "Lord Hokage! Please tell me you haven't forgotten the last time this happened! This could be disastrous!" Mumbles erupted from the crowd, Lord Hokage sighed, looking down at (Y/N). "It will be done, I've made sure that the group will be lead by a responsible Jounin. There should be nothing to worry about." Lord Hokage explained, ignoring the fearful hushed whispers.

Naruto had hopped up on the table, shielding me from the accusing crowd of girls, his eyes were burning holes into Sasuke. "What are you doing Naruto?" I whispered to him, watching the intense staring contest he was having with Sasuke, _it must be because he took Naruto's seat again,_ I sighed. "Naruto, get off the table!" Sakura shouted at him, he ignored her. _Why are they so obsessed with him? Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke, what;s the big deal with this guy?_ I wondered, watching them fight with their eyes, Sasuke moved slightly under my gaze, Naruto clenched his teeth, the atmosphere in the room turned thick. The group of girls continued to shout.

"Ha! This is great!" Choji laughed, slapping the desk. "Oh, sorry, did I bump you?" The table shook slightly, and the room went quiet. _Naruto...and Sasuke...they...they're kissing!_ I burst into laughter, on the verge of tears as I slammed my head on the desk, the group of girls were quiet as they watched them kiss in pure terror. Sakura screamed. They broke apart, wiping their mouth's viciously, I tried desperately to stop laughing. "That's priceless!" I chocked, holding my mouth shut, Naruto looked at me with a big frown. _I will get you Naruto!_ Sasuke thought angrily, clenching his fists underneath the table. "Alright, settle down..." Iruka-sensei called out as he came through the classroom doors, Naruto jumped down into the seat between me and Sasuke, Sasuke kept a close eye on him.

"As of today you are all ninjas. To get here you faces difficult trials and hardships, but that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now you are only Genin, first level ninjas. All the Genin will be grouped into three man squads, each squad will be lead by a Jounin, and elite ninja," Iruka-sensei explained, looking closely at a crumpled piece of paper he pulled out of his pocket, me and Naruto were smiling at each other with excitement, even Kale was moving around my neck. _Well, someone's got to be in Sasuke's group, I wonder who._ Ino thought to herself, looking down at Sasuke from the desk above us. Sakura was also daydreaming. _Groups of three? That'll only slow me down. Why couldn't it of been only two?_ Sasuke quickly looked over at me, I was lost in thought. _I wanna be with (Y/N) and, well, I don't care, as long as it's not Sasuke._ Naruto crossed his arms, annoyed by even hearing his name.

"We want-" Iruka was interrupted by someone suddenly opening the door, it broke my thoughts as I looked down. A man with dark brown hair covering his left eye scampered into the room, he looked familiar, but I couldn't remember his name. "Huh?" Iruka watched him curiously, the man got close to Iruka, I heard him whisper something. "But that's-!" "It's Lord Hokage's order, he asked me to give you the new list..." The man said quietly as he pulled out a small scroll, Iruka quietly took it. "Alright." Iruka-sensei nodded, dismissing the messenger. "There's been a small change, a team will have four Genin, while the rest three," Iruka gulped, "Now let me get back on track." Iruka-sensei cleared his throat as he continued his speech.

 _Please put me in Naruto's group, he's the best friend I've got around here._ I clasped my hands together, hoping I could train with him. "We want each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities, so that's how we've set them up. I will now announce the squads." Iruka explained as he opened up the scroll, he scanned the paper, a surprised look on his face as he reached the bottom. I bit down on my bottom lip, names flew passed me, but I only had my ears out for my group. "Squad seven. Naruto Uzumaki," I gulped. "Sakura Haruno," _please be me next!_ "Sasuke Uchiha," I sighed, looking down at the table, "and (Y/N) (L/N)." I shot my head up, a large smile on my face as I turned to Naruto, the same expression on his. "Ha!" Sakura grinned, looking back at Ino. "Squad Eight. Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame."

"How did you get in his group?" Ino seethed, visibly shaking in anger. "I don't get it. What do you see in a guy like that? He's not so special." Shikamaru said, I nodded in agreeance, even though I wasn't apart of the conversation, Shikamaru had a tiny smile. "You two are so beyond clueless, don't you get it?" Ino rested her hands on her hips, I could feel Sasuke look at me again, I stayed still, remembering he was going to be in my group. "You're such an idiot." Shikamaru shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Ugh, you're so full of yourself. Jealousy's a terrible thing," Shikamaru turned his head away from Ino, "I'd hate to be on your squad." Ino finished with a grin.

"Now, squad Ten. Ino Yamanka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi." Iruka-sensei called out, I snickered at Ino's shocked expression. "Did you say something about hating to be on my squad? " Shikamaru asked sarcastically, Ino seethed. "Those are all the squads." Iruka nodded, putting the scroll back down on the table. "Iruka-sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke?!" Naruto shouted, standing up as he pointed at him. "Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students, Naruto, you had the worst scores. To create a balanced group, we put the best students with the worst students." _I hope I'm not one of the worst students._ I thought with a sigh. "Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser." Sasuke grunted, I turned my head towards him. It was a rare occasion to hear him talk.

"Hey, what did you just say?!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, I shook my head. "Hard of hearing?" "Knock it off," I said quickly to Sasuke, irritated by there constant fighting. "Naruto sit down." I crossed my arms. "Ahem. After lunch, you'll meet your new Jounin teachers. Until then, class dismissed." Iruka-sensei said with a sigh, watching as we all got up from our seats and dashed to the doors.

"Sasuke, where are you? Why did he go running off so fast? Since we were in the same group and all, I thought we could have lunch together and get to know each other better." Sakura mumbled to her self, looking down. "Hey Sakura. You wanna grab a bite to eat? Sorry about that whole board game thing." I smiled, waving to her as I walked closer. She turned around quickly, "Why would I eat lunch with you? How could that thought even cross your mind?" Sakura's attitude completely changed, I was caught off guard. "Are you okay Sakura?" I asked, looking a bit worried. "I'll be better with out you trailing along. You're annoying (Y/N)!" Sakura stomped off, looking around for Sasuke. _Well that's odd,_ I sighed in defeat.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" Naruto called out from behind. "Huh?" I turned around, looking a bit down. "Hey, I was thinking we could go get some lunch together, maybe we could even get Iruka-sensei to buy us ramen! What do you say?" Naruto grinned excitedly. "Sorry Naruto, I'm not that hungry." I said with a sigh. "Not hungry?" Naruto whispered to himself. _Why would Sakura be so angry at me, what did I do do her? Is it about the board game, or... she doesn't think that I like Sasuke or something does she? I've only seen her act that way to Ino, I've got to find Sasuke! I bet he was the one that made her angry at me!_ I clenched my fist angrily, "Are you okay (Y/N)?" Naruto asked, reaching his hand out to grab my shoulder. "I'm okay! I've got to find that Sasuke guy!" I shouted, stomping off in the other direction, Naruto turned his head, confused.

 _They are never not hungry. Something must be wrong, and why do they want to find that Sasuke guy? Wait...could it be that...(Y/N) like Sasuke?! Ugh, what a pain. I get into the same group as (Y/N) and he's gotta be in it too. There's got to be a way to deal with this..._ Naruto thought to himself, looking around as he sat on a quiet ledge. "Huh?" Naruto looked down at Sasuke sitting alone eating a rice ball. "Got it." Naruto said with an evil grin.

"All right, if were in the same group, you're going to have to follow my lead. That's the only way it'll work." Ino said, resting her hands on her hips. _That's the only way it'll work cause she throws a fit if she doesn't her way. Why couldn't I've gotten (Y/N) instead, what a drag._ Shikamaru thought, annoyed by Ino's constant talking. "Why don't you lead us to some barbecue Ino?" Choji snorted. "Hopeless!" Ino said, face palming. "Hm?" Shikamaru looked down, watching as Naruto sneaked across the ledge of Sasuke's house. "Naruto." Shikamaru said with a vengeance. "Huh?" Ino turned around, watching Naruto sneak up on Sasuke. Jumping into the window, Naruto threw himself at Sasuke as Ino and Shikamaru watched in shock. "Naruto!" "Pipe down!" They fought out of Ino and Shikamaru's sight. "Naruto, if you so much as scratch him, you're on my enemy list forever!" Ino growled, listening to them scuffle. Victoriously, Sasuke jumped out of the window with a small smirk, running off in an unknown direction. "He beat Naruto without even breaking a sweat." Shikamaru watched Sasuke closely. "What'd you expect? Naruto against my boy Sasuke? No contest." Ino said matter of factly, grinning down at Shikamaru.

I looked around aimlessly, getting more and more angry by the second. _No one steals a friend from me and gets away with it._ I growled. "Hey, there you are." Sasuke's smooth voice was the last straw. I turned around, seeing him lean coolly on a tree **.** "(Y/N), your lips are so red and full, it makes me feel like kissing them." Sasuke smiled, walking closer to me. "What?!" I said in shock, looking at him with a confused face. "Just kidding. That's the kind of dumb thing that Naruto would say." Sasuke said with a sly grin, I crossed my arms. "And what does that imply?" I whispered to myself, my cheeks slightly pink. "I want to ask you something," Sasuke began, putting his hands in his pockets. "Huh?" I raised my brow, completely forgetting about why I went looking for him. "Naruto. What do you think of him?" Sasuke asked to my surprise, I smiled. "He's the coolest guy in the school, he's my bestest friend, and I'm glad about that." I smiled, looking down at the ground, Sasuke's face started to turn red. "I swear, if you tell anyone I said that, I'll kick you're butt!" I shouted at him with a raised fist.

 _I let my guard down,_ Sasuke thought to himself as he struggled against the roped Naruto had him tied up in, he was infuriated. _In class, he couldn't even do a simple replication. How could he combine a replacement jutsu with a full shadow clone jutsu?_

 _"_ Never, your secrets safe with me." Sasuke waved, stepping closer to me. "Oh, that's right," I remembered. "You really are beautiful (Y/N)," Sasuke broke my thoughts again as he placed his hand on the side of my face. "What are you doing?!" I shouted, turning away from him. "You seriously are a creep Sasuke, always watching me in class, sitting next to me everyday," I turned my head away from him, a blush creeping across my face. "Why can't you just tell me you want to be friends!" I crossed my arms, but when I looked back at him, he was holding his stomach. "Hey, are you-!" Sasuke ran past me, holding his stomach awkwardly as he ran away. "I'll be right back!" He shouted, his voice sounding slightly different. "Whatever..." I turned away, sitting down on the bench on the side of the hallway.

"Ah!" Naruto shouted, slamming the bathroom door behind him. His transformation jutsu had worn off. "That was close. My stomach was so upset I almost lost control of the jutsu. Geeze, I never knew that Sasuke and (Y/N) were like that, but what they said..." Naruto thought back, _"Naruto's the coolest guy in the school, he's my bestest friend!"_ Naruto would of smiled if his stomach wasn't feeling so terrible.

"So, you're back," I grumbled, my arms crossed as I reclined on the bench. "Huh?" Sasuke looked at me with a confused face, "You really are an idiot." I said silently, "What are you talking about?" He asked walking closer to me, but he suddenly stopped. "Hey, (Y/N)," Naruto waved, I waved back. "Hey!" "Naruto, why did you transform into me?" Sasuke asked abruptly, anger in his voice. _Huh? Naruto transformed into Sasuke? Wait...does that mean... "_ N-Naruto you idiot!" I shouted, my face turning red. Sasuke squinted his eyes at Naruto, starting to put the pieces together. "Naruto, what did you do when you were posing as me?" He asked, taking a step closer. "Uh...oh...well, you see..." Naruto shrunk under our gaze, but before he said anything more, he held onto his stomach tightly, "Ah! I have to go!" He shouted, running back to where he came.

"So this is where Naruto lives..." Kakashi's voice trailed off, looking at the mess Naruto left in the morning. "Yes, he'll be on your team, along with three others. Naruto and _His_ kid (Y/N) are trouble makers, and there's Sasuke, from the Uchiha clan. Good luck, you'll need it." Lord Hokage explained with a sigh. Kakashi picked up the empty milk carton Naruto had for breakfast. "This milk is way past its expiration date. One sip of this and he'd be running to the bathroom all day. Seems like this kid is just one big problem." Kakashi sighed, resting his hands in his pockets.


	3. Pass or Fail, Survival Test!

"He's late." Naruto mumbled, looking out the door of the classroom. "Naruto! Just sit down!" Sakura shouted at him. "Yeah, he'll get here eventually." I agreed with a yawn, leaning back on the table. It was just the four of us in the classroom. "I don't want to! How come our teachers the only one that's late? I'm ready to roll, believe it!" Naruto turned back around to face us. "The other groups already met their new teachers and took off on some adventure or something, and Iruka-sensei gone too!" Naruto complained, I rubbed my eyes, wanting to take a nap. "We know, okay?" Sakura said bitterly. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Sakura shouted. I turned my head to see Naruto placing the chalkboard eraser in the crack of the door. "Nice!" I said with a giggle, getting up to have a closer look. "Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "That's what he gets for coming late! Surprise!" Naruto and me chuckled, standing out of the way from the door. "You're asking for trouble, you know you shouldn't do that." "Sorry mom!" I grinned, high fiving Naruto from behind. "Our teachers a Jounin, an elite ninja, you think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke looked away, but I could see a small smile tugging on his lips, he wanted it to happen as much as the rest of us. "Yeah, Sasuke right! You two are so clueless!' Sakura looked at us with an annoyed face. " Yeah, sure, I know that your just as curious as we are Sakura!" I grinned at her. We all got quiet as we saw a hand go through the crack of the door, Naruto and I were already starting to laugh. It fell….direct hit.

Naruto and I erupted in laughter. "We got him!" Naruto laughed, pointing at out new teacher. "He totally fell for it!" I leaned on Naruto shoulder, giggling. "I'm sorry sensei, I told them not to do it, but they wouldn't listen! I'd never do anything like that." _Perfect shot!_ Sakura's face was red as she tried to hold in her laughs. _He actually fell for that cheap trick? Is this guy really a Jounin?_ Sasuke looked at him judgingly. The teacher picked the eraser up, "Hm. How do I put this? My first impression of this group: You're a bunch of idiots." He said calmly, throwing the eraser to the side.

"All right, why don't you introduce yourselves one at a time?" He asked, leaning on the railing. "Introduce ourselves? Well, what are we supposed to say?" Sakura asked curiously. "Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future. Hobbies. Things like that." He explained, moving his hands as he talked. "Why don't you tell us stuff first? I mean, before we talk, tell us about you, so we can see how its supposed to work." Naruto looked at him with a cute look...wait did I just think he looked cute?!

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...never really thought about it. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies. Okay your turn." Kakashi-sensei looked at us with a dull look. "On the right, you first." "Believe it. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me and (Y/N) and the Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait when you pour water in the ramen cup." Naruto explained, Kakashi looked like he stopped listening after Naruto said his name. "My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen, and my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody!" "All right. Next." Kakashi looked at me. "My names (Y/N) (L/N)-" Kakashi moved slightly as he heard my last name. "And I like to eat ramen with Naruto and hang out with my friends! I really like my friend Kale," I explained, pulling him out from my headband. He was fast asleep. _A snake?_ Kakashi eyed Kale suspiciously. "And I hate... I hate how people don't like me because of my last name! My hobbies are reading and training with Kale! My dream for the future is to...is to...well I don't know yet." I looked down at Kale, he curled around my hand, I shook him awake. He must be well rested by now. "Okay." Kakashi- sensei said with a yawn. "I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like...uh...I mean, the person I like is...uh, my hobbies are...uh..." Sakura was blushing as she looked at Sasuke. "My dream for the future is...~!" Sakura squealed into her hands. "And? What do you hate?" Kakashi asked Sakura, "(Y/N)!" Sakura shouted. I looked down at the ground. "Last one." Kakashi sighed. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and the things I like...well it's not that important right now." I saw Sasuke's eyes flicker over to me and then back at his hands. "What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone." Sasuke's tone turned light to dark in a matter of seconds. _Gee, uh, I hope he doesn't mean me..._ I shivered, hoping I wasn't on his To Destroy list. _Sasuke is so hot~_ Sakura was still blushing. _Just as I thought._ Kakashi thought to himself. "Good. You're each unique, and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow" Kakashi explained to us all. "Uh, what kind of mission are we going to have?" Naruto asked excitedly. "It's a task the five of us will do together." "What, what, what, what?!" Naruto asked impatiently. "A survival exercise." Kakashi was starting to get annoyed by Naruto persistence.

"Huh? A survival exercise?" Naruto turned his head to the side. "I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice! We already did this stuff at the academy, that's how we got here." Sakura complained, Kakashi crossed his arms. "This is not like your previous training." Kakashi-sensei explained. "So, what kind of training is it then?" I asked, starting to get confused. Kakashi started to crack up, putting his head down as he laughed. _What did I say that was so funny?_ I looked at him questioningly. "Hey, hold on. That's a normal question, what's so funny?" Sakura crossed her arms, starting to get annoyed that Kakashi wasn't telling us straight answers.

"Heh, well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it." Kakashi smiled from underneath his mask. "Of the 28 graduates who just came here, only ten will actually be accepted as Genin. The other 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass-fail test, and the chance that you'll fail is at least 67%." Kakashi explained calmly to our shocked faces. "See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?" Kakashi rested his hands back in his pockets.

"That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?" Naruto complained, looking at Kakashi angrily. "Oh, that. That was just to select the candidates who might become Genin-or not." Kakashi looked up at the sky as a bird flew past. "What?!" Naruto said in disbelief. "That's how it is, I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5:00 am, and bring your ninja gear." Kakashi-sensei said in a more serious tone, _Well, I'm not going to be weeded out! I've got to pass this test!_ I bit down on my bottom lip, telling my self that I can do this.

 _If I fail, I'll be separated from Sasuke. This is a trail of love._ Sakura looked intensely at the floor. _I will do this...for (Y/N)..._ Sasuke thought to himself, clasping his hands together in thought. "That's it. You're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow you better skip breakfast, or else you'll puke." Kakashi-sensei said before leaving, _Oh no! I'm always hungry in the morning!_ I gulped.

Yawning, I marched up my front steps, Kale swirled around. "We've got to wake up early tomorrow for our test, you have to sleep all night tonight, okay Kale?" I asked him, feeling as he slithered down off my arm and onto the ground. I pushed my door out of the way, closing it with a heavy slam, I slowly made my way towards my bed room. _I told myself to go straight to bed, no reading before._ I nodded, blowing out the candle I left running all day, the entire bowl was a melted mess. I plopped down on my soft rock bed, stretching out comfortably. I drifted off to sleep.

" _Are you okay?!"_ I jumped as I heard the unexpected voice, warm hands cupped the side of my face, moving my head around to check all over my neck. "H-Hey! Get off!" I shouted, pushing the guy in front of my away. I crossed my arms, it was unusual for him to make two check ins in a row. It's always super annoying when he comes. "Is that any way to speak to me?" He asked angrily, putting his hands on his hips. "I don't even know who you are!" I exclaimed, crossing my arms. "I'd think by now that you would at least have an idea who I am. You don't know how impatient I can be!" He said, tapping his foot on the floor. I thought back to when Iruka took me and Naruto out to get ramen...

 _I shifted on the stool, watching Naruto gorge himself on his favorite pork ramen, I turned my head back to my bowl, deep in thought. "What's the matter (Y/N)?" Iruka-sensei asked, looking over at me with a worried face. "Is it true, Iruka-sensei, about what Mizuki said about my father?" I couldn't eat, He was the worst ninja to ever grace the village! His words were impossible to shake off. Iruka sighed, crossing his arms. "Mizuki was lying the entire time, you should just forget about what he said..." Iruka trailed off, but I could tell he was trying to hold the entire truth from me. "Your father, when ever I saw him, he was always kind to me...but..." A shadow covered his eyes, Naruto stopped eating, looking at the two of us with a worried face. "That night the nine tailed fox attacked, in the confusion and panic, he also attacked..." Iruka explained, I looked over to him with a confused face. "You shouldn't worry to much about it!" Iruka turned to me with a smile, I smiled back, knowing that I wouldn't get my answers from him._

"You're my dad?" I looked at him, tilting my head to the side. Short (H/C) locks clung tightly around his head, (E/C) orbs glared down at me, I shivered. Half of his face covered by a dark, tight fitting mask, a black cloak with blood red clouds loosely hung from his shoulders. I pointed an accusing finger at him, anger swelled up inside of me. "What the hell did you do? And why did you run away?! Is my mom truly dead?! What about brother, is he still alive?!" I stomped on the ground, he crossed his arms. "Such an unruly child, how dare you speak to your own father in such a way. Do you have an manners?" He huffed, turning his half covered face away from me. "Manners? Look who's talking, barging into my dreams, complaining about how weak I am, leaving me alone, to fend for myself!" I clenched my fists, shouting at him wildly. "I don't care if you're my father or not, you're low life scum, and I hate you!" He went silent.

"I"m sorry I shouldn't of yelled at you, please forgive me (Y/N)!" He cried, putting his hands on my shoulders. _What the hell is he doing?_ "I've had a bad, a bad day, that's all! I shouldn't of yelled at you, I will never yell at you again! Okay, my sweet daughter!" Words came streaming out of his mouth, I couldn't understand half of them. "Um...okay...sorry?" I said with a yawn, he darted his head up. "You must be tired! Of course you're tired, I've been keeping you from your rest. You've got a big day tomorrow, don't you? I'll let you go back to sleep!" He smiled under his mask, something seemed really off about him. I watched as he evaporated into the darkness, _how could he completely change his attitude in a matter of seconds? There is something seriously wrong about that guy._

I felt myself pushed awake. I sat up on my bed, rubbing my eyes as I lazily searched for a match on my bed side tabled. I grabbed ahold of the thin the stick, striking it my arm. A small flame lit on top of it. With my free arm, I pulled out a new candle, lighting it up. _No breakfast...but I'm really hungry! But, I don't puke up in front of everyone..._ I thought to myself as I moved around my room, getting ready for the day. _I can do this! I will pass this test!_ I nodded, preparing myself for whats to come.

"Morning..." Sakura yawned as the four of us all met up, Naruto was trudging along, rubbing his eyes. We sat there, for what felt like an eternity, waiting for Kakashi-sensei to show up. The sun had already risen, it must be at least 8 am! "Morning everyone. Ready for your first day?" Kakashi called out, walking to us calmly with his hands in his pockets. "Hey! You're late!" Both me and Naruto shouted, annoyed by having to wait so long. "Well, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi said with a smile, I didn't believe a word he said. "Well..." He cleared his throat, "Let's get started."

"Huh?" We watched as Kakashi-sensei walked over to a tree stump, he placed a small alarm clock on it, we all watched him closely. "Here we go. It's set for noon." Kakashi nodded as he pulled out three identical bells from his pocket. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." Kakashi-sensei explained, holding the bells up in the air for us all to see. "If you can't get em' by noon, you go with out lunch." Me and Naruto looked at each other with worried eyes. "You'll be tied to those posts, and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you. I held my grumbling stomach, looking down. _So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast..._ I sighed, hungrily.

"Hey, wait a minute. There's four of us, so how come there's only three bells?" Sakura asked, placing her hand on her hip. "Heh, well, that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy." Kakashi rang the bells, as if he was mocking us with them, I clenched my fists. "Then again, all four of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells." Kakashi-sensei explained, putting the bells back down to his waist. "Those weapons are too dangerous, sensei!" Sakura said worriedly. "Ha! Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser!" Both me and Naruto started to crack up from yesterday, Sakura shook her head disapprovingly.

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them, lowest scores, losers." I turned my head away from him, crossing my arms angrily. "When I say start, you can begin." Naruto clenched his fists growling, I watched as he pulled a kunai out of his pocket before dashing towards Kakashi. "You idiot..." I mumbled under my breath. In a split second, Kakashi had Naruto's arm behind his head, holding him in place by his shoulder. Naruto struggled to get out of his grip. "Don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say start yet." _He's so fast, I didn't even see it._ I thought to myself, taking a step back. "But, you came at me with the full attention of destroying me, so-," Sasuke looked at him intently. "How can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys. Get ready..." He let go of Naruto, he stood back next to me.

"And...start!" I took off as quickly as I could, hiding inside of a bush. I slowly breathed in and out, calming my self down. _Wait...where did Naruto go?_ I asked myself, looking around with a confused look. _Ninja must know how to conceal their movements, and hide effectively. Well, they understand that much, they've hidden well._ Kakashi observed, but something else caught his attention. "Huh?" I exclaimed, watching Naruto stand in front of him in broad day light, I mentally face palmed.

"You and me! Right now! Fair and square! Lets go!" Naruto shouted at Kakashi. _What is that idiot doing?! He's going to get himself killed!_ I clenched my fists, starting to sink down into the ground. I left only my head revealed, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. "Hm?" Kakashi tilted his head to the side, "You know, compared to the others, you're a little bit weird." Kakashi-sensei said, composing himself. "Oh, yeah? The only thing weird here is your hair cut!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Kakashi's head. _Burn!_ I thought, trying my best to hold back my laughter. Naruto charged towards Kakashi, I sunk underground while his attention was on Naruto, digging until I was right underneath him. _He will never see me coming!_ I smiled to myself, listening to Naruto yell.

Naruto suddenly stopped as Kakashi reached for something in his pocket, I quietly waited. " Shinobi battle technique, part one. Taijutsu-the physical art." Kakashi said, his eye glowing as he dug around in his pocket. _Huh? Taijutsu, that's hand-to-hand combat! Then why is he reaching for a weapon?_ Naruto watched Kakashi intently, and to both of our surprise, he pulled out a book. _Kakashi likes to read? I would of never guessed...I wonder what he's reading..._

 _"_ What the?" Naruto clenched his fists, "What are you waiting for? Make your move." Kakashi watched him patiently. "But, I mean, why are you reading that book?" Naruto asked, starting to get annoyed by Kakashi-sensei's reading habits. "Why? To find out what happens in the story, of course. Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks, it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or whatever." "I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU!" Naruto screamed, charging towards Kakashi full force, I bent my knees, preparing to launch.

Kakashi easily stopped Naruto's punch with his hand, I watched intently. Next, Naruto went for a kick, he easily dodged that as well. "Now you're mine!" Naruto shouted, but Kakashi seemed to disappear. "Huh?" "Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time." Kakashi crouched, I could feel him start to build up his chakura. _Is that the sign of the tiger? Naruto's going to get destroyed!_ I gulped, clenching my fists, waiting for him to make his move. "Naruto! Get out of there quick he's going to destroy you!" I heard Sakura shout. "Too late." I gasped, holding a hand over my mouth to keep quiet. "Leaf village, secret finger jutsu!" Kakashi shouted, poking Naruto...in the butt. "A thousand years of death!" Kakashi-sensei shouted, flying Naruto off into the river.

"That wasn't a hand sign at all...he just poked him..." Sakura mumbled. "Those two are just total idiots." Sasuke shook his head. I held my hand tighter to my mouth, _That was priceless!_ "Okay, where was I..." Kakashi whispered to himself, opening his book back up. _This may be the perfect time to attack, he's distracted by that book..._ I calmed myself down once again, clenching my fists as I stayed right underneath Kakashi. Suddenly two shuriken came flying out of the water towards Kakashi, he caught them with his fingers.

Naruto climbed back onto the ground, completely soaked. "What are you doing now? You know, you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon." Kakashi looked over at Naruto, he was on his knees. "I know, I know! You told us already!" Naruto complained, _when should I attack? Do I keep waiting for another opening when he is battling Naruto?_ I bit down on my bottom lip. "You look pretty wobbly for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage." Kakashi listened to Naruto's stomach growl. "You told us not to eat breakfast! How can I fight when I'm starving to death?!" I held my stomach, just hearing the word breakfast made me hungry. "So, you caught me off guard. That's all it was! Believe it!" Naruto shouted, flailing his fists in the air. Kakashi slowly started to walk away, I quietly followed him. "I'm so hungry, I don't have any strength. But I can't let that stop me. I've got to get one of those bells, no matter what! I'll find the strength some how, believe it! I'm going to pass this test and I'm not going back to the academy! I will become a ninja!" Naruto shouted, and if it was their cue, seven shadow clones came jumping out of the river, _could this be enough for Naruto to get one of the bells?_ I waited, listening.

"Ha ha! You're over confident, sensei! That's why you weren't ready for a shadow clone attack-my best jutsu!" Naruto shouted, charging towards Kakashi with all of his duplicates. _Hm. Looks like the stories are true, he can create shadow clones. It's a forbidden skill and he defeated Mizuki with it._ Kakashi put his book down. "Great technique. But I don't think you can maintain it for very long. You talk like you're the best, Naruto, but you're still the worst student. You can't beat me with this jutsu-!" Kakashi-sensei jumped as Naruto jumped on his back, holding him in place. "Hehe, didn't you say, 'Don't let your enemies get behind you'? Good advice sensei, believe it." Naruto's clones jumped on Kakashi's legs holding him in place, I was so interested in what Naruto was doing, I almost forgot I too had to get one of the bells. "I had one of my clones come out of the river, then sneak up behind you super quiet. Now, this is for nailing me in the butt earlier!" Naruto shouted, forming a fist as he came down on Kakashi. "Now, you're mine, and so are those bells!" He shouted, but to Naruto's surprise, he punched himself! All of his clones toppled onto each other. "It's you! You're Kakashi-sensei, aren't you?! You transformed into me using a jutsu!" Naruto yelled at himself, they all started fighting each other, trying to find which one was Kakashi.

When the cloud of dust disappeared, Naruto was standing there alone with a huge bump on the side of his face. _He got you with a replacement jutsu. Loser. With this jutsu, you quickly switch your own body with an object, so your enemy thinks he's attacking you, while he's actually attacking a log or rock, leaving him open to a counter attack. In this case, the Jounin let him self get caught then switched bodies with one of the Naruto clones. So Naruto thought he was nailing him, but actually he was just attacking him self. And that Jounin was so smooth, he made Naruto look like a total moron._ Sasuke thought to himself, looking down at Naruto from the tree he was hidden in.

"Hm?" Naruto looked at the ground, his eyes widened as he saw one of Kakashi's bells lying in the grass. "A bell?" Naruto said in shock. "I must have got to him with my attack. He dropped a bell!" Naruto said with a goofy grin, he jumped on it. I shook my head, _that is obviously a trap, idiot._ Naruto screamed as he got tied up in a rope, hanging upside down from a tree. "Hey! Hey! Let me down! What is this?! Help!" Naruto shouted, trying to wiggle out of the rope trap. _Kakashi-sensei doesn't let his guard down, even when he's fighting an idiot like Naruto._ I gulped, deep in thought. Kakashi picked the bell back up with a sigh.

"Think before you use a jutsu, or else your opponent might use it against you. Oh, and also..." He held the bell tightly in his hand. "If the bait is obvious, don't take it." Kakashi said with a smile. "A ninja must see through deception," Naruto growled, wiggling in the air. "I...get...it!" Naruto shouted at him, "I'm telling you this because you don't get it," _This is my chance!_ I readied my self. "You think you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it. Get it?" I jumped out of the ground, punching him in the face with a hard uppercut, Kakashi flew backwards, blood spewing from his head. "Ah! That was amazing (Y/N)!" Naruto's face lit up as I stood in front of him, "I'll get two bells for the both of us!" I smiled, watching Kakashi lay still in the grass.


	4. You Failed! Kakashi's Final Decision!

I waited, watching Kakashi's body, it turned into a log! _Gah, another substitution jutsu! And now he knows where I've been hiding!_ I charged into the bushed, calming down my breathing once again, I waited. _I thought he lowered his guard, but he didn't. And I fell for it._ Suddenly, I heard Sakura scream, I jumped. _H-He got Sakura! "AHHHH!" Wait...was that Naruto?! What is happening?!_ I jumped up, quietly moving through the shrubbery. _Where could Kakashi be?_ I bit down on my bottom lip. Another high pitched scream, I darted towards the noise. "Shinobi battle skill number 2, the illusion jutsu. Sakura studied it in class, but she still couldn't see it coming." Kakashi explained, his nose buried in his book. "I'm not surprised you got Sakura with it. But, I'm not like Sakura and Naruto." I explained to him, hearing him flip a page behind me.

"Say that after you get one of these bells." He walked calmly over to me, I turned around. A silent rustle of leaves caught my attention, so he's here too. Must be looking for an opportunity. I listened to Sasuke creep up on us. I faced Kakashi-sensei, my fists clenched. I quickly reached for my pocket, flying shuriken at him. He easily dodged. "There's no point using normal attacks. I smiled, flying a separate shuriken to cut the rope of a trap Kakashi laid out, as I expected, he also dodged it. With my smile slightly widening, I jumped out from the tree his back was facing. _What? A shadow clone?_ Kakashi quickly turned around, just in time to grab my kick. He head onto my leg, I gulped. Turning around, still in the air, I flew a punch at his face, he caught it with his left hand, holding onto me tightly. I came up and kicked with my free leg, it hit his shoulder. Twisting my self around with my free hand, I reached towards the bells, tapping one with my finger before he threw me off of him, backing up quickly. _This kid..._ Kakashi thought to himself as he watched me skid to a halt on the floor. _They're fierce. Hm. I won't be able to read Make Out Paradise now..._ Kakashi sighed, readying himself for another attack.

I caught my breath, clenching my fists angrily. _So close! I almost had the bell!_ _ **"SASUKE WHERE ARE YOU?!"**_ I heard Sakura scream, Sasuke shifted a bit in the tree, still watching us closely.

"Hm? Hey, what are those things down there?" Naruto asked himself, still hanging on the tree. He looked down to see three bento boxes sitting on top of the memorial. "Aha! I know what those are! Those are boxed lunches! Oh, 'a ninja must see through deception'!" Naruto grinned, chuckling to himself.

"Well, you are different from the other two. I'll grant you that," I tightened up, not letting my guard down for even a second. "Snake, Ram, Dog, Rat, Snake, Tiger! Earth fist jutsu!" I shouted, punching into the earth to encase my fists in rock. _What?! Genin can't do earth style jutsu! It takes too much chakra!_ Kakashi thought startled as I lunged at him with my jutsu. I punched down, closing my eyes as dirt flew up in the air. Where Kakashi once stood, I had formed a crater, _now where did he go? Behind me? Above? "_ Below!" I shouted, dodging his hand by burrowing in my own tunnel. "You think you could beat me with my own technique?!" I shouted, kicking him up out of the ground. "HUH?!" I shouted, watching as Kakashi once again turned into a log. "Hey, (Y/N). Behind you." "AHH!" I jumped, feeling wires dig into my skin, trapping me against a tree. Kakashi-sensei stood in front of me, his hands in his pockets. I struggled against the wire, wiggling furiously. "Hey! That was a cheap trick!" I pouted, looking down. "You have talent, and you were right, you are different from the others. But different isn't always better." He patted me on the head. "They say, 'the nail that sticks up is the one that get' hammered down.-" Before Kakashi could finish his lecture, Sasuke came jumping down, throwing shuriken down at him. Kakashi dodged, in almost a second he was behind Sasuke.

"He got you two," I giggled, looking at Sasuke's head stick up out of the ground. "What ever..." He grumbled, his face flushing pink in embarrassment.

"Ha ha! Sensei told us that if we don't get a bell, then we don't get any lunch. But if I eat my lunch now, then there's nothing he could do! It's chow time!" Naruto laughed, reaching towards one of the bento boxes. "Hi there." Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask. "Gah!" Naruto jumped, looking behind him to see Kakashi towering over him. "Uh, I was just joking, sensei..." Naruto gulped. "Nice try." Kakashi said menacingly.

 _He's stronger than I am. I can't get around that._ I sighed. "Huh?" Both me and Sasuke saw Sakura come darting out of the bushes, she stopped. "Hm...uh?!" Sakura looked at us with a shocked face. "Sakura." Sasuke called out. "AHH! Sasuke's just a head with out a body and he's talking!" Sakura screamed, falling back wards. I sighed. "And that's my partner..." I grumbled, looking down.

Eventually, Sasuke found his way out of the ground, and helped untie me from the tree. We both walked over to Sakura, she was passed out on the floor. Sasuke knelt down to her. Finally, Sakura came to. "Sasuke..." She opened her eyes, lunging at him in a giant hug. "You're okay!" "Hey! Cut it out! Let go! Let go!" Sasuke shouted, pushing Sakura off of him. I snickered. Sasuke glared at me.

"We've got to get a bell before lunch." Sasuke sighed, standing up. I nodded my head in agreeance. "That doesn't leave much time."I said, starting to walk away, Sasuke followed. "You guys are still trying to get those bells?" Sakura asked, "Huh?" I looked back at her, resting my hands in my pockets. "A while ago, I touched one. Next time, I'll get one." I nodded with a small smile. "That is really great," Sakura clasped her hands together, but I could hear sarcasm in her voice, I squinted my eyes at her. "I can't believe you did that. You're amazing." _I can't believe it! They touched one of the bells! I'll never get my hands on one of those things, which means I'll be separated from Sasuke! No, no, no, no, no!_ Sakura screamed inside of her head, trying to find a way to make Sasuke stay. "Uh, Sasuke, it's almost lunch. There's not really enough time left, so maybe we should give up and then try again next year!" Sakura said with a smile, Sasuke looked back at her angrily, I put my hands on my hips. "I'm the only one who can destroy that person..." Sasuke began, I turned around to him, he looked lost in thought. "What? Who? You mean sensei?" Sakura asked, completely oblivious. I kept my mouth shut. "That day, I was crying." Sasuke explained, I looked down at the floor. _I remember...hearing about the entire Uchiha clan being massacred when I was younger...he must be the only one left. And the person who had done it..._ I shook my head. _It's none of my business._

"When were you crying?" Sakura asked, stepping closer to Sasuke, I crossed my arms. "It was my..." "What? What happened to you?" Sakura clasped her hands together, worried. "I am an avenger. That means I must be stronger than my prey. I need this training, there's not time for set backs." I gulped, walking closer to him, but mid step, the timer went off. "Ugh, I've wasted too much time." Sasuke continued to walk, I ambled along with him, looking down. _I failed...we failed._

The three of us made it back, Naruto was tied to the middle post, looking down, we all sat around him, Kakashi-sensei was looking down at us. "Uh oh, stomach's growling, huh? That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this exercise? Well, I've decided that I won't send any of you back to the academy." Kakashi said with a smile, both me and Naruto's faces lit up. _We passed! We some how passed!_ I smiled. "Yay!" Sakura was jumping for joy. "Then that means all four of us, I mean all four of us!" Naruto wiggled happily in his ropes. "Yes. All four of you are being dropped from the program. Permanently." Every one stayed silent. "Drop us from the program?!" I shouted, clenching my fists. "That means we'll never become ninja! You said if we couldn't take the bells, we'd be sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?!" I screamed, standing up with furious eyes.

"Because you don't think like ninja. You think like little kids, like brats." Sasuke snapped, dashing towards Kakashi angrily, "Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, as if she could call him back. Kakashi took his arm, throwing him to the ground and holding him there. I gritted my teeth. "You think it's all about you," Kakashi began. "Let go of Sasuke!" Sakura screamed, I watched her, surprised by her sudden scream. "Yeah, you can't step on him like he's some kind of bug!" I shouted, defending Sakura. Sasuke looked up at me from the ground. "You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You thinks it's a game, huh?" I grunted angrily, clenching my fists. "Why do you think we put you on squads? Did you consider that question for one moment?" Kakashi's voice completely changed from calm to harsh in a matter of seconds. "I don't know what you mean!" Sakura shouted back, taking a step closer. "I mean, you never realized what this exercise is all about. Not even close." Sasuke continued to struggle under Kakashi's grip, getting angrier by the second.

"What it's about?" Naruto asked, looking at Kakashi with a confused face. "Yes. That's what determines whether you pass or fail." "But that's-I mean, I wanted to ask you that from the beginning." Sakura said, looking worried. "Tch. Use your head. Four people on a squad, why would you think we would do that?" "AH! How are we supposed to know why you picked four people?!" Naruto complained, still struggling against his ropes. "It's so basic. Teamwork!" Kakashi sighed. "Just working together? Is that what you mean?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded. "That's what I mean. It's too late now, but if all four of you had come at me, you might have been able to take the bells." Kakashi shook his head, I crossed my arms. "Well, anyway, it's over." _Wait a minute._ "You set it up with four people but only three bells, if we worked together and got the bells, only three of us could keep them! And that would lead to group conflict, and the squad would break up!" I shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi. "Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other." Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "Huh?" Naruto couldn't understand any thing being said.

"I wanted to see if you could over come that, and put the squad ahead of yourselves. A Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork. But you, it never even crossed your minds." Kakashi looked down at us. "Sakura, you obsessed about Sasuke who was gone, while Naruto was right in front of you, and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him. Naruto, you do everything on your own. Everything. And you two, Sasuke and (Y/N), you thought you were above every one else was so far beneath you, they were worthless. Arrogance. Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course, you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure and death. For example, Sakura, kill Naruto now, or Sasuke dies!" Kakashi pulled out a kunai knife, and held it against Sasuke's neck. Naruto looked at Sakura in shock.

"That's what happens on a mission." Kakashi explained, pulling the knife away from Sasuke. "Oh, boy. That was really scary." Sakura whispered to her self with a sigh. "The enemy takes a hostage, and you've got an impossible choice. And someone ends up dead." Kakashi explained, getting up off of Sasuke. "One every mission, your life is on the line." Kakashi started to walk towards the memorial. "Did you look at this stone, the names engraved on it? They are all ninja who are honored as heroes in our village." Kakashi looked down at the stone, his voice becoming softer. "That's it, that's it! I've decided to have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not going to live or die a nobody! I'm going to be a hero! A hero!" Sasuke got up from the ground, and stood next to me once again, I elbowed Naruto in the side, looking down. "Ow! What was that for?" He cried, "You're an idiot Naruto." I whispered at him. "They are a special kind of hero." Kakashi called out, Naruto turned his head back to him. "Huh? What kind of heroes are they? Come on, tell us!" Naruto asked excitedly, I kept my head down. "They are all KIA..." Kakashi said quietly. "Ooh! That sounds cool!" Naruto smiled, "Do you ever shut up? It means killed in action!" I shouted at him, turning away from the post. "Huh...uh...oh..." Naruto put his head down as well.

"This is a memorial stone. The names of my closest friends are engraved here." Kakashi's voice was almost a whisper, we all stayed silent. "All right, I'm going to give you one more chance. But I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength, but Naruto doesn't get any." Kakashi walked closer to us, Naruto huffed. "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by your self. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail." "Gahh..." Naruto looked defeated, I kept my arms crossed. "I make the rules, you follow them. Got it?" With that Kakashi left.

I opened my box, looking down at it, it smelled delicious. I looked around, trying to see if Kakashi was any where to be seen. Sasuke and Sakura were already eating. "Hey, Naruto," I whispered, "Are you okay?" I kept a look out, but I couldn't spot him anywhere. "Yeah, this is no big deal," I could hear his stomach growling. "I can go with out eating for weeks! Believe it! This is no big deal!" He was interrupted by another big stomach growl. "Fine. I'll feed you, but you got to keep quiet!" I grumbled, holding my bento box for him to grab. "Huh?" He looked down at me with a smile. "What? No, (Y/N), you can't go that! You heard what sensei said!" Sakura looked around worriedly. "Kakashi is gone, and I can't stand Naruto looking like that, so go on and hurry up, eat!" I shouted at the both of them. "Thanks." He whispered with a big smile, his eyes sparkling. "Don't thank me, just eat!" I growled, holding the box up. "But, isn't that your lunch?" Naruto asked, concerned. "I'll be fine. Besides, I snuck some bread before I came here," I whispered back to him, smiling back, "Just take it Naruto." I looked around for Kakashi. "I can't take it! I can't move my hands, (Y/N) you're going to have to feed me!" "Fine! But I'm never doing this again, you here?!" I shouted, my face turning red, Sasuke stopped eating. Naruto opened his mouth, I grabbed a mouth full of rice with my chop sticks, but to my surprise, Sasuke moved my hand out of the way, and stuffed his own rice into Naruto's mouth. Naruto chocked on it. "Sasuke!" I crossed my arms. "Hurry up and eat it, Naruto." Sasuke looked at Naruto with burning eye. Naruto swallowed the rice. "Thanks." Naruto seethed, moving his face away from Sasuke.

"YOU!" Kakashi shouted, standing right in front of us furiously. "You broke the rules, I hope you're ready for the punishment!" He put his hands on his hips, staring at me angrily. He made some quick hand signs, looming over us. Storm clouds came looming in, lightning and thunder blazing above. "Any last words?" He asked menacingly. I stood up, stomping my foot into the ground. I looked up at him, my eyes starting to burn as I glared at him, I ignored the pain, he looked shocked. "We're all on this squad, and we're all in it together! I gave my lunch to him because the four of us are one!" I shouted at him, resting my hands on my hips. "Yeah, that's right." Sasuke agreed, standing at my side. "Yeah, yeah! Believe it!" Naruto shouted from behind.

"'The four of you are one' that's your excuse?" Kakashi's voice was harsh, but I stood my ground, my eyes kept burning, I wish they would stop. "Hm, you pass." Kakashi smiled, patting me on the top of my head. "Huh?" I looked at him with a confused face. "You pass." He said it once again, Naruto's face lit up once again. "What do you mean? How did we pass?" Sakura looked at him, still a bit shaken up. "You're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves, 'A ninja must see through deception'. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true." My eyes seemed to relax as I did. "But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Kakashi said, looking up as the sky. I sighed in relief, turning back to Naruto who was seconds away from breaking into tears. "He's a-your know, he's kind of cool..." Naruto sniffled. I leaned on Naruto's post, "You big cry baby." I laughed, with a small smile. "Hmph!" He turned his head away. "I'm not crying!" Naruto shook his head.

"The exercise is over. Everyone passes. Squad seven starts it's first mission tomorrow." Kakashi-sensei gave us the thumbs up, smiling under his mask. "I did it! I did it! Believe it! I'm a ninja!" Naruto shouted, bobbing his head up and down ecstatically. "Let's go home." Kakashi-sensei called out, starting to walk away. I hopped one the chance, Sasuke and Sakura soon followed behind.

Naruto started grunting, still trying to break out of the ropes. "I knew they'd do this! Happens every time! Believe it! Ghnnn...!" Naruto shook angrily. "YOU GUYS FORGOT TO UNTIE ME!" He shouted at us, I snickered, waving at him from afar. "This is your punishment for yesterday!" I yelled back at him, sticking my tongue out as I left.


	5. Intermission: Pranking Kiba

"Hey, Sasuke, what are you doing around here?" I asked, he stopped, turning around with a mildly surprised look on his face. "Walking." He mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets. "Um...okay, see you tomorrow then...I guess…" I turned away, he didn't look like he was in the mood for any company. _Besides from being the creepiest guy in the group, he's also the most mysterious._ I shivered. "Hey, wait," He called out for me. "Hm?" I turned back around to meet him. "What are...you doing….are here?" His gaze shifted down to the ground. _Was he trying to make small talk with me?_ "I live here." I smiled, looking up at the great stone faces. "Well, yeah….but" _Every time I follow them, they always stop here and morfe into the mountain. They don't like inside the Hokage's head, do they?_ Sasuke thought to himself, accidentally staring at me the entire time.

"Um…" I stood there awkwardly, wondering if he was going to say anything more. _This is exactly how he was when we were younger,_ I thought to myself. "Do you want to hang out or something?" I asked, it seemed to catch him by surprise. "Shikamaru invited me to hang out with him and Choji, I don't think they would mind if you tagged along." I smiled, trying to be friendly. "I've got something else to do." He waved, for a second I could've sworn I saw him smile. "Okay, well, bye then!" I cleared my throat. He stood there as if he was waiting for something. "Okay, well, um…..bye!" I waved, _He must want to know where I live,_ I turned away, listening. He slowly started to walk away. Biting on my bottom lip, I turned around. His back was facing me. Sighing in relief, I moved towards the base of the mountain, sticking my arm half way through it.

"What were you and Sasuke talking about?" I jumped, quickly pulling my arm out of the wall. "S-Shikamaru! What are you doing here?" I asked, awkwardly putting my hands in my pockets. "I came to pick you up, don't tell me you forgot already." He whispered, looking around. "Especially since you and Choji pulled my into this." He sighed, placing his hands on his hips. My face lightened up. "You're right." I grinned, following him down the dirt road.

"Hey guys!" Choji waved, his other arm half way in a chip bag, "You up to this Choji? We've got to be super quiet." I whispered, looking around worriedly. "Don't worry, this is no big deal. He's probably sleeping anyway." Choji smiled. "I can't believe I agreed to this. You know, if we get caught, we'll be in big trouble." Shikamaru sighed. "You aren't going to chicken out on us, are you Shikamaru?" I put my hands on my hips, mocking him. "Yeah. You aren't going to chicken out on us, right?" Choji mirrored me. "Fine. But if we get caught, I'm blaming you guys." Shikamaru crossed his arms. _What a drag. When I invited (Y/N) to hang out, I didn't mean to do something stupid like this,_ Shikamaru thought with a sigh.

"Shhh...he's asleep..." I warned, looking into Kiba's window. "Do you have the clothes, Choji?" I asked, looking back at them crouched inside a bush. "Yeah, here you go," He whispered, pushing a grey trash bag towards me. I gripped onto it tightly, swinging it over my shoulder. I slowly opened the window, Akamaru was passed out on Kiba's chest. I quietly placed my foot on the wooden floor, Shikamaru and Choji were watching me intently. I moved my other foot in slowly, ambling across the floor. Kiba was snoring loudly, only wearing his under shirt and boxer shorts. I grinned, picking up his favorite jacket from the floor, and throwing it over my shoulder. I quickly untied the bag, putting a bright pink cardigan where it used to be.

Slowly creeping across the floor, I made my way towards his closet. I looked back, he was still fast asleep on his bed. I pulled the closet door open. A pile of unfolded clothes sat in the middle of it. I kicked the pile over to the side, and replaced them with a large pile of pink and purple dresses I collected from the trash. I successfully threw all of Kiba's clothes into the bag and made my way back towards the open window. A small shuffle made me jump. I looked back with a sigh of relief, Kiba turned to hi side, hugging Akamaru close to his chest. _Awww,_ I thought with a smile, sneaking back out of the window.

"Success!" I whispered, high fiving Choji as I jumped back into the bushes. "Now, what do we do with the clothes?" Choji asked, looking over at the bag. "What are you three doing out here?" We all turned our heads at the same time. Shino crouched down to our height. "Uh..." I gulped, pushing the bag behind my back. "W-We were having a picnic!" Choji jumped up, nervously looking around. "You're having a picnic in the bushes out side of Kiba's house." Shino crossed his arms, he didn't believe a word we said. "Yeah, what are you doing in the bushes outside of Kiba's house?" Shikamaru asked, trying to turn the tables on him. "Collecting specimen when I happened to notice my male Kikaichu flying away..." Choji was looking in awe at my back. "What is it?" I asked, he pointed at me. "Bugs!" He jumped back. I turned mt head around, trying to pick the beetles attached to my back off.

"They are attracted to the female Kikaichu I placed on you back at the academy." Shino said, picking a small red beetle off of my shoulder. The bugs flew away from me quickly, flying up Shino's sleeve. "Wha..." I shivered, _this guy might be ever creepier than Sasuke..._ I gulped.

"AHHHH!" We heard Kiba shout from his room, Shino crossed his arms at us. We all looked at each other before jumping up on out feet and dashing into the forest.

"(Y/N), can you see Kiba anywhere?" Shikamaru asked, I turned my head to each side, but I couldn't see any one. "It looks like we're in the clear!" I shouted back with a smile, the clothes bounced around in the bag. "Wolf fang over fang!" I heard Kiba shout, I turned around to see a large spiral heading out direction. "DODGE!" I screamed, Shikamaru and Choji dispersed. I jumped down from the trees. Kiba turned, ramming into the ground, I jumped out of the way just in the nick of time.

"(Y/N)! Give me back my clothes!" He shouted, Akamaru barked at me. "Never!" I said confidently with a grin, "You're lucky you're so cute." Kiba seethed, jumping at me, I rolled out of the way. "Get back here!" Kiba screamed. I stuck my tongue out, waving the bag in front of him. "Arf!" Akamaru barked, sinking his teeth into the bag. "Akamaru! Get off!" I shook the bag, trying to knock him off. "Got you!" Kiba shouted, jumping on me. "No!" He pushed me down into the ground, "H-Hey! Get off!" I put my hands on his chest, trying to push him away. "This is the last time you play a prank on my (Y/N)!" I turned my face away from him. Looking to my side, I saw Shikamaru carefully go towards the bag. Akamaru barked loudly, causing Kiba to look behind him. "Shikamaru!" Kiba seethed, I took the opportunity and pushed Kiba over on his side, following Shikamaru as he ran.

"Few, that was close," Shikamaru breathed, gasping as he caught his breath, Choji gulped. "Who care? We got the clothes, so now we can get our pay back!" I grinned evilly. "Where are you idiots?" Kiba shouted a short distant away."We got to get out of here!" Choji whispered, we both nodded. Quietly we made our way through the shrubbery.

Kiba stood still in the grass. _If I can't see them, then I_ ' _ll smell them out!_ Kiba clenched his fists, sniffing the air furiously. _There you are!_ Kiba ran as fast as he could, chasing the scent to the best of his ability, he stopped suddenly. A pair of his dirty underwear were left laying in the grass.

"Good idea leaving that behind Shikamaru, I forgot about his sense of smell!" I smiled, checking behind me every ten seconds. "What are you going to do with those clothes (Y/N)? You never told us." Choji asked, I turned my head back to him. "We're going to hang them up, all over town!" I laughed, moving through the forest quickly. "That's evil...I like it!" Choji grinned.

The three of us decorated the town with Kiba's smelly undergarments, laughing the entire time. Afterwards we all settled down, relaxing on the roof of a building. Choji was snaking on his favorite barbecue chips, Shikamaru was looking up at the clouds, and I was playing with Kale.

"I wonder if Kiba found all his clothes..." Shikamaru sighed, "Hm. Yeah..." I picked Kale up, he slithered up my arm. "Do you think we should go back and apologize?" I asked, starting to feel a bit guilty. "If anyone's apologizing, it's you (Y/N), you came up with the idea." Choji crossed his arms. "You agreed!" I shouted at him, standing up on my feet. "You aren't chicken, are you?" Shikamaru asked, mocking me. "Yeah, you aren't chicken, right?" Choji smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "Fine!" I shouted, stomping away from them.

I knocked on Kiba's window, crossing my arms as I looked down at the floor. He opened the window up quickly, looking at me angrily. "What do you want (Y/N)?!" He growled, I bit the inside of my lip. "I'm sorry..." I mumbled quietly. "What did you say?" Kiba asked, tapping his foot on the floor. "I said I'm sorry!" I clenched my fists, he stayed quiet. "Hmph, I'm sorry...for a lot of things..." I thought back to all the previous pranks I've pulled on him...

"Apology accepted..." Kiba mumbled, crossing his arms. "What?" I looked back at him through the window. "I accept your apology!" He shouted, his face flashing red. "KIBA, WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?!" Tsume shouted from the living room. "NO ONE MOM!" Kiba shouted back with a growl. "THEN SHUT UP!" She shouted back, slamming her foot on the floor. "Tch..." Kiba turned back to me. "Well, bye then..." I waved, turning away. "Hey, wait, where are you going?" Kiba asked, jumping out of his window. "I was just going back to hang out with Shikamaru and Choji," I began, looking back at him. "Want to pull a prank on them?" Kiba asked, grinning evilly. "You just read my mind." I said back with a smile.


	6. Journey to the Land of the Waves!

"(Y/N) here, I'm over at point D," I spoke softly into the head piece, pressing my back up against the tree. "Sasuke, I'm at point B." Sasuke's voice sounded like static through the ear piece. "Sakura, I'm at point C." She whispered, digging her feet into the ground. "Naruto, I'm at point A, believe it!" Naruto smiled into the microphone, I rolled my eyes. "Go slow, Naruto. Okay, squad 7. Hm?" Kakashi listened intently to the ear piece. "The target has moved! Follow it!" Kakashi-sensei shouted at us, I peeked out from my behind my tree. "Over there." Naruto whispered, hanging from a branch above me. I quietly snaked across the grass, hiding behind another small tree, I glared at it in the bushes. "What's you're distance from the target?" Kakashi whispered. "Five meters. I'm ready, just give the signal." I whispered back, keeping a close eye on it. "I am too. Believe it!" Naruto grinned. "I'm ready too." Sasuke said quietly. "So am I!" Sakura breathed into the microphone. "Okay..." Kakashi mumbled. "Now!" He shouted, I jumped from the tree and into the bushed, "I got him!" I called out, hugging the cat close to my chest, he started to claw at my arms. "Ow!" I cried. "Can you verify the ribbon, on it's right ear?" Kakashi asked as I wrestled to keep the cat under control.

"Affirmative, we got a positive ID." Sasuke confirmed, holding the ear piece closer to his face. "Right, lost pet Torah captured. Mission accomplished." Kakashi nodded. "Can't we get a better mission than this?! I hate cats!" I screamed into the microphone, Kakashi held his throbbing ear.

"Oh, my poor little Torah. Mommy was so worried about her naught little fuzzykins, yes~!" She squealed, hugging the cat close to her face. "Ha! Stupid cat. That kitty deserves to be squished!" Naruto laughed, I rested my hands in my pockets. "No wonder he ran away..." Sakura said with a sigh.

"Now then, for squad 7's next mission, we have several available tasks." Lord Hokage sighed, his pipe sticking out of his mouth as he read the paper in front of him. "Among them, babysitting the chief counselor's 3-year-old, helping his wife do the shopping, digging up potatoes, and-" "No!" Naruto whined, crossing his arms. "I want to go on a real mission, something challenging, and exciting, not this little kid stuff! Come on old man!" Naruto complained, I sighed. _Well, he's got a point._ I nodded. _But he's such a pain!_ Sakura rested her hands on her hips, annoyed. _I knew this was coming..._ Kakashi thought with a sigh.

"How dare you?! You're just a brand-new Genin with no experience! Like every one else, you start with simple missions to develop your skills and prove yourself!" Iruka-sensei shouted, slamming his hands on the desk in front of him. "Are you serious Iruka-sensei?!" I shouted, backing Naruto up. "Babysitting is not a mission!" I shouted back shaking my head. "Yeah, it's just a stupid-ah!" Kakashi-sensei hit Naruto in the back of the head. "Would put a lid on it?" Kakashi-sensei sighed, I crossed my arms. "Naruto, (Y/N), " Lord Hokage called, Naruto scrambled back up on his feet. "Ahhh!" Naruto cried, holding onto the back of his head. "It seems that you two do not understand the tasks you have been given." Naruto quieted down, looking up at Lord Hokage. "Listen, many different kinds of requests come into our village everyday, from baby-sitting to assassinations." He cleared his throat, putting his pipe back down on the table. "These requests are carefully recorded, analyzed, then ranked. A, B, C, or D, depending on their difficulty. We ninja are also ranked by ability, Hokage at the top, Jounin, Chunin, and Genin at the bottom. At the highest level, we select the missions and assign them to ninja who have the appropriate skill and experience. And if the mission is successful, we receive a fee that supports our village and our work. Since you are untried Genin just starting down the shinobi path, you are give D level assignments, of course. Hmm?" Lord Hokage stopped, looking over to the five of us with our backs turned. "So, I had this tonkotsu ramen yesterday, and I'm thinking miso ramen today-" "Silence!" Lord Hokage shouted, stopping Naruto's ramen plans.

"Oh...sorry." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, turning his attention back to Lord Hokage. I turned my head back to him as well. "Ahh! You always lecture me like you're my grandfather or something!" Naruto turned back around. "But I'm not that little brat who used to pull pranks all the time. I'm a ninja now, and I want a ninja mission! Hmph!" Naruto shouted back, crossing his arms. _Hmm, I'm going to hear about this later,_ Kakashi thought with a sigh. Lord Hokage started to chuckle. _They want us to know that they aren't brats. They're former brats, and they want a mission._ Lord Hokage scratched his chin. "So be it." He called out from across the room. "Huh?" Both me and Naruto looked back at him. "Since you two are so determined, I'm going to give you a C-rank mission." Naruto's face lightened up. "You'll be bodyguards on a journey." Lord Hokage said, I jumped up. "Who will we be guarding?" I asked impenitently. "Yeah, who? Some princess? Or some counselor?" Naruto asked with a smile. "Don't be so impatient. I'll bring him in now." Lord Hokage put his pipe back in his mouth. "Send him in now." He said a bit louder, we all turned around to the door. An drunken elderly man opened the door up with his right hand, a bottle of sake in his left.

"What the? A bunch of little snot nosed kids?" He sighed, taking another drink from his bottle. "And you, the short one with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?" He grumbled, leaning on the door frame. "Ha! Who's the short one with the idiotic look on his-? Oh...huh..." Naruto looked around, he was shorter than the three of us. "I'll demolish you!" Naruto shouted, I held him back by the collar of his hoodie. "Let me get my hands on him! I'll destroy him!" Naruto flailed his fists in the air. "You can't demolish the client, Naruto. It doesn't work that way." Kakashi said with a sigh.

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder, and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world, and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life." Tazuna explained, Naruto finally started to calm down.

The large green gate opened, it was my first time leaving the village, I looked around with big eyes. Every thing was go green and beautiful, I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah! All right!" Naruto laughed, throwing his arms up in the air. "What are you getting so excited about Naruto?" Sakura asked, her arms and face cross. "This is the first time I ever left the village!" He said excitedly. "I know! Isn't it amazing!" I laughed, skipping next to Naruto. "We're travelers now! Believe it!" Naruto jumped up, laughing along with me. "Hey, am I supposed to trust my life with those runts?" Tazuna asked, pointing at us like we were trash. "They're with me, and I'm a Jounin, so you don't need to worry." Kakashi waved his worries away. _I'm a runt?! Why'd we have to get this old geezer to guard?_ I crossed my arms angrily. "Hey! Never insult a ninja! It's a big mistake!" Naruto turned around, pointing an accusing finger at Tazuna, I turned my head away from him. "And I'm the greatest ninja ever! Some day I'm going to be a Hokage and you'll look up at me! Believe it! My names Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it!" Naruto grinned, "You're such an idiot..." I whispered to myself, smiling.

Tazuna took another swig from his bottle. "Hokage are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly." Tazuna looked down at us. "Gah! Shut up! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage, no matter what it takes! And when I do, everyone will have to admit that I'm the top ninja, including you!" Naruto clenched his fists. "Ha, you can become Hokage ten times over, and to me, you'll still be a nobody. A loser." Tazuna laughed. "Ah! I'm going to make you pay for that! Right now!" Naruto shouted angrily, I once again pulled him back. "Kakashi told you, you're supposed to protect the client, not attack him!" I sighed, Naruto tried his best to wiggle out from my grasp. "Just give me one shot at him! Let me go! I'll show you!" Naruto screamed like a kid, I shook my head.

"Say, Mr. Tazuna?" Sakura asked, we've been walking for a good half hour now, I was relaxed by the pace we were going at. "What is it?" Tazuna grumbled. "Your country is The Land of The Waves, right?" "Yeah, what of it?" Sakura turned her head over. "Kakashi-sensei, there are ninja in that country too, aren't there?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side. "No. There are no ninja in The Land of The Waves. But in other countries, there are hidden villages, each with their own different customs and cultures, where ninja reside." Kakashi-sensei cleared his throat, I looked over to him with mild curiosity.

"To the people of this continent, the existence of shinobi villages mean strength, military strength. In other words, they know how to protect themselves and maintain the balance of power with neighboring countries. The ninja villages are not controlled by and government. They're independent and have equal status. Now, a small island like the Land of The Waves has natural protection from the sea, so there's no need for a ninja village." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, relaxing his shoulders. "The five ancient lands that posses shinobi villages are the lands of Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Earth. They each occupy was territories. Together they are known as the five great shinobi nations. The land of fire has the Village Hidden In the Leaves; the land of water has the Village Hidden In the Mist; the land of lightning, the Village hidden in the clouds; the land of wind, the Village Hidden In the Sand; and the land of earth, the Village Hidden In the Stones. Only the leaders of these hidden villages are permitted the name Kage. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage. These are the five leaders, the five shadows that reign over thousands of ninja." Kakashi took a long breath, looking back up at the sky.

Sakura gasped, "Then Lord Hokage's really important!" _Hmm, is that old man really such a big deal? I'm not buying it._ Sakura shook her head even though she was smiling. _I got him with my sexy jutsu, he can't be that great. Believe it!_ Naruto crossed his arms. _That old guy? No way, I could beat him any day!_ I sighed, looking back at Kakashi-sensei. "Hey! You all just doubted Lord Hokage, didn't you? That's what you were thinking." Kakashi-sensei called us out, putting his hands on his hips. "N-No!" The three of us shook our heads, Sasuke stayed silent. "Well, anyway, there are no ninja battles in a C-ranked mission," Kakashi patted me on the head, "so you can relax." I sighed in relief, for some reason I started feeling really tense. "And we're not going to run into an enemy foreign ninja or anything like that." Sakura smiled. "Not likely" Kakashi laughed, I shook my head. "I don't know, I have a bad feeling about something," I crossed my arms, Kale started to get uneasy, _maybe he'll actually fight this time..._ I sighed, looking down at my best snake friend.

We continued walking along the path, but I stopped, looking down. _A puddle? Out in the middle of the rode on a hot day like this?_ "Hey, Kakashi-sensei," I asked, catching up with them, "Hm?" He asked, looking down at me, "When-" He pushed me out of the way just before he got wrapped up in spikes, two ninja seemed to jump out of no where. Sasuke and Naruto turned around in a second. "Do it!" One of them spoke in a husky voice. "No!" I called out, watching as their wires cut Kakashi in two! "AHHH!" Sakura screamed. "K-Kakashi-sensei!" I cried out, Naruto ran up to me, Sasuke soon following. The ninja laughed happily from behind, I turned around quickly, seeing them face behind me. "Now it's your turn!" They called out, about to attack Naruto. "You'll have to go through me first!" I screamed, jumping up as I thew a kunai down, it caught onto both of the wires, pinning them to the tree. "I can't get loose!" One of them grunted, I hopped up open their gauntlet's that held the the blades to their arms, and pushed them away with my legs until the wires snapped. The two of them ran in separate directions, one towards Naruto, the other to the rest. In a split second, I jumped in front of Naruto, readying myself for an attack, Sasuke defended Sakura and Tazuna. I prepared to meet the ninja's blade with my kunai, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes back up.

"Hi." Kakashi-sensei stood in the middle, he held both of the ninja by their necks under his arms, "Kakashi-sensei!" I smiled, feeling tears peck at my eyes. _Hmph, showoff._ Sasuke shook his head. "Huh? But he was...what?" Naruto and I both looked behind us at a log cut up into tiny pieces. _Kakashi-sensei used the replacement jutsu!_ I smiled. "Naruto, (Y/N), sorry I couldn't help you two right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, hmm, I didn't think you would just freeze like that, Naruto." Kakashi turned away, still carrying the ninja in his arms. _They saved me after all..._ Tazuna sighed in relief. I happily skipped over to him, sniffling. "Good job (Y/N), very smooth. You too Sasuke, Sakura." He nodded at us, Naruto got up on his knee. _I was useless! And (Y/N) was so cool, like they'd done it a thousand times! Didn't they feel scared at all? They look so calm, not a single scratch on them, and I was so lame. Next time, I'll be the one saving (Y/N)! Believe it!_ Naruto stared at me, I looked back over at him. "Hey, you're not hurt, are you?" I asked with a smile, watching him climb back up on his feet. "Scaredy-cat..." Sasuke teased him, I put my hands on my hips, Naruto growled at him. "Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, about to jump at him, "Naruto, stay still. These ninja have poison in their claws, we need to take it out of you quickly." Kakashi-sensei warned. _N-Naruto got scratched? Wait, there it is! On his hand...I can't believe I failed him like that..._ I gasped, running towards him. "Naruto, oh no!" I gulped, rushing towards him. "You have to open the wound to remove it. It's in you're blood, so don't move around, that spreads the poison. I gulped. _I'm so sorry, Naruto...I failed you._ I put my head down.

"By the way, Mr. Tazuna," Kakashi-sensei called out, "Yeah, what?" He answered back, still shocked by the attackers. "We need to talk." I bit down on my bottom lip. Quickly, Kakashi tied our attackers up on a tree, they weren't going to move any time soon. _I don't understand, I thought Kakashi-sensei said there weren't going to be any ninja attacking us, I can't let my guard down, not even for a second! I need to protect my friends!_ I clenched my fist, determined. "They're Chunin from the Village Hidden In the Mist, their specialty is relentless attack. They keep fighting, no matter what the sacrifice." Kakashi looked down at them, "How did you know about our ambush?" One of them asked, disgruntled. "A puddle on a clear day, when it hasn't rained in weeks? Look's like you noticed that too, didn't you (Y/N)?" Kakashi-sensei looked down at me with a smile, I nodded back. "In that case, why did you leave it for the Genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna asked, crossing his arms angrily. "I could have taken them out quickly, but then I'd have learnt nothing. I had to know who their target was, and what they were after..." Kakashi eyed Tazuna suspiciously, I placed my hands on my hips. "Yeah...but...I still don't get it." I shook my head, "Hm?" Kakashi looked down at me. "Why would they wan't to attack Mr. Tazuna?" I asked, looking down at them. "Good question (Y/N), I think Mr. Tazuna should answer that." Kakashi looked back at him. "Hmm? What are you getting at?" Mr. Tazuna asked, starting to get annoyed.

"This. I wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja, or if they were after you, the master bridge builder. When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection from robbers and highway men. You didn't way that there were ninja looking for you, hunting you down." Kakashi put his hands back in his pockets, I turned to face Tazuna. "If we knew this, it would be a B-rank mission or higher. Our task was simply to get you to your destination and protect you while you finished building your bridge," Tazuna looked down at the ground. "If I knew we would be fielding attacks from enemy ninja, we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B-rank mission. Apparently you have your reasons, but lying to us is not acceptable. We are now beyond the scope of this mission." Kakashi narrowed his eye at Mr. Tazuna. "We are Genin, this is too advanced for our level of training. We should go back. And I really think we need to treat Naruto's wound and get the poison out as soon as possible." Sakura explained, taking a step closer to Kakashi. "As much as I don't want to leave this mission, Sakura is right. We can take Naruto back to a doctor at our village, I don't want him to get any worse than he is." I sighed, putting my hands on my waist. "Huh?" Naruto looked at his hand and then back to us. "Hmm. Naruto's hand could become a problem, I guess we should go back to the village." Kakashi sighed, I turned back to Naruto, my eyes enlarged as I saw him pull out a kunai from his pocket and jam it into if wound. I gasped as blood spewed from it. "Why am I so different? Why am I always, ugh!" Naruto groaned in pain. "Naruto!" I called out, walking towards him, Kakashi put his hand on my shoulder to stop me.

 _I worked so hard to get here, pushing myself till it hurt, training alone for hours, anything to get stronger, to reach my dream. I will never back down again and let some one else rescue me. I will never run away, and I will not loose to Sasuke. "_ Upon this wound, I make this pledge, believe it! Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife!" Naruto turned around, the blade still in his hand. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." Naruto grinned at me. "Naruto...uh, that was really cool how you took the poison out and all...but if you loose any more blood, you're going to die." Kakashi-sensei sighed, Naruto started to feel sick. "Pfft...!" I held my mouth closed trying not to laugh. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now, seriously." Kakashi smiled, holding onto Naruto's shoulder. "Not, not, not! No, no, no! I'm too young for it all to end like this!" Naruto cried, "Naruto! Just hold still!" I sighed, shaking my head. "Show me your hand." Kakashi-sensei asked. "N-No!" "Naruto! Stopped acting like a baby!" I shouted at him, Kakashi grabbed a hold of Naruto's hand, trying to make him stop wiggle. "Naruto, you've got a self-abusive personality. It's called masochism." Kakashi sighed, looking down at his hand. _Huh, it's already starting to heal. It must be that fox demon...but how do I know if that's true when Mizuki said it..._ I shook my head, trying not to think back on it. "Uh...um..." I gulped, kneeling down next to Kakashi. "Hm?" He looked over to me. "I-It's just that you had a really serious look on your face...ha...ha..." I gulped, shaking slightly. "Don't worry, Naruto's going to be just fine." Kakashi smile, wrapping Naruto's hand up in bandages. I shook my head, "W-Who said I was worried?" I looked away. "Ha, well, whatever." Kakashi smiled, patting me on the head again, _I hate it when he does that, it makes me look like I'm a scared child!_ I crossed my arms.

"Uh...?" I froze, falling back down on the floor. _"You failed? You failed?!" A short man, dressed up in a fashionable business suit shouted, chills ran down my spine, who are these people? "What is this? Amateur night?! I put out big money for you! I thought you were supposed to be hotshot assassins!" He pointed at a dark figure lounging on a comfortable looking chair, he was shining a large, menacing, looking sword. I gulped. "Stop whining." He called out, his voice deep and booming, I didn't like this, not one bit. "Huh?" The short man jumped as the sword came slashing down in front of him, the dark figure pointed the tip at his neck. "This time, I'll go personally, and this sword will be the last thing he ever sees." Why am I seeing this? Who are these people? "Hey...(Y/N)..." I turned around quickly, there father was standing behind me. "W-What's going on?" I whispered at him, he put his arm around my shoulder. "Be careful...you're not strong enough to beat that guy..." He said, pointing to the man with the sword, I gulped. "And...he's coming...soon."_

With his last words, he jolted me back up, I woke gasping for air. "(Y/N)! What happened?!" Naruto asked, I looked to my left, he was crouched down on the grass, and to my right, Sasuke, and in front of me, Kakashi-sensei. "Ow...my head hurts." I frowned, holding my head as I sat up. _That's the second time (Y/N)'s eyes flashed yellow...it's happening sooner than I expected._ Kakashi cleared his throat, "You just pass out...huh, was it because of all the blood?" Kakashi asked himself more than any one else. "It doesn't matter, I'm okay now." I gulped, standing back up on my feet.

 _Should I tell them about what I saw? No, I don't need to worry them about something I'm not completely sure about. Besides, of all the people I trust, why should he be on the list?_ I shook my head.

"Let's carry on!" I said excitedly, Naruto jumped up next to me. "Yeah!" _Although, no matter what, I can't let my guard down until we finish this mission, even if what my dad said was a lie. We've already been attacked once, who's to say the we won't be attacked again._ I kept my hands to the side, one resting my my pouch, ready from anything.


	7. The Assassin of the Mist

Mist surrounded the boat, I couldn't see anything it was so thick. The water was a dull grey, it swayed the boat back and fourth, it was some how relaxing. "I can't see anything..." Sakura sighed, leaning back. Naruto sat in the very front, moving his head around as if he could see. "The bridge isn't far now. Our destination is just up ahead, The Land Of the Waves." The rower whispered, I leaned next to Naruto, squinting to see if I could see anything in the fog. Slowly the out line of a half finished bridge came into our view. "Whoa! It's huge!" Naruto shouted in awe, "What? Keep quiet! I told you, no noise! Why do you think we're traveling like this, huh?" The rower whispered harshly to Naruto, "Cutting the engine off and rowing, moving through this dense fog so they don't see us." He shook his head, Naruto held his mouth shut with his hands, it only made my suspicion of Mr. Tazuna grow.

"Mr. Tazuna," Kakashi crossed his arms, "Before we reach the pier, I wan't to ask you something." Mr. Tazuna kept his head low, I turned my head back to Kakashi. "The men who are after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, then I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore." Kakashi whispered, we all fell silent. All eyes were on Mr. Tazuna. "I have no choice but to tell you. No, I wan't you to know the truth. Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my like is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow." My eyes widened, Kakashi looked over at me for a second before turning his attention back to Tazuna. "Hmm." Kakashi leaned back. "Who is it?" I asked, leaning a bit forward.

"You know him. At least, I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of the wealthiest mean in the world, the shipping man, Gato." Tazuna explained, his voice hoarse. "Huh? Gato? Of Gato transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him." Kakashi looked a bit shocked. "Who?" I asked, completely out of the loop. "Gato's a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true. But below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he used to take over business and nations. He sells drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja." I gulped, Tazuna put his head back down.

"It was one year ago when Gato first set his sights on the Land Of the Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply disappeared. In an island nation, a man who controls the sea controls everything. Finance, government, and our very lives. But there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land, and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder." Tazuna explained, looking back at Kakashi.

"So that's it. Since you're in charge of the bridge, you're standing in this gangsters way." Sakura sighed, placing her hand on her chin. "That means those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gato." I whispered to Naruto who looked like he didn't have a clue what was going on. "Ahh...hmmm...?" Naruto slowly started to catch on. "But, I don't understand, if you knew he was dangerous, knew he would send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Because the Land Of the Waves is a small, impoverished nation. Even our nobles have very little money." Tazuna sighed, I looked down at the ground, _poor guy. I can't believe I was so suspicious of him._

"The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission. It's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home." Tazuna looked back up, a bit started to form in my stomach. "But don't feel too bad about that. Of course, my sweet little grandson will be upset. He'll cry, 'Grand dad! I want my grand dad!'" Naruto started to look down. "Oh, and my daughter will condemn the Ninja of the Hidden Leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow. Oh, well, it's not your fault. Forget it." Tazuna looked out towards the water. "Kakashi-sensei! We've got to help them!" I sniffled, clenching my fists. "Don't worry (Y/N)." Kakashi sighed, "I guess we have no other choice. We'll have to keep guarding you." Kakashi said with a fake smile. "Oh, I'm very grateful." _I win._ Tazuna thought with a smile.

"We're approaching the shore. Tazuna, we've been very fortunate no one has noticed us so far. " The rower called out, smiling down at his friend. "Nice going." Tazuna nodded as we slowly drifted into a tunnel. At the end, the mist disappeared to show a nice little village. The sun was high up in the air, glistening off the water. _It's so beautiful here!_ I smiled, looking around every direction. The boat came to a stop by a small wooden board walk, we all got off except the rower. "That's as far as I'll go. Good luck." The rower sighed, "Right. Thank you for taking such a risk." Tazuna turned back around. "Just be careful." He waved, starting the boats engine back up as he glided away.

"Okay. Take me to my home, and I mean get me there in one piece." Tazuna grumbled. "Right..." Kakashi sighed as we continued to walk. _The next ninja they send won't be Chunin, they'll be jonin, elite ninja with deadly skills. Hmm._ Kakashi thought silently, keeping a close eye on the four of us. _Oh...this is not good. The short guy I saw in my dream turned out to be real, what if the scary one with the sword is too. I better-"_ Kya!" I jumped, watching Naruto throw a kunai at a bush. "Hm...that was just a mouse." Naruto sighed, wiping his forehead. "Mouse? Yeah, right, everyone can see through your stupid act!" Sakura shouted, pointing at Naruto angrily. "You're so obvious, it's embarrassing!" I growled, putting my hands on my hips. "Naruto, those are kunai knives. They're dangerous." Kakashi warned, "Stop trying to scare me, you scruffy little dwarf!" Tazuna shouted, clenching his fists. "Hey, is someone hiding over there? No, over there!" Naruto laughed, looking around closely. "No! Over there!" He shouted, throwing another kunai at a bush. "That's enough Naruto!" Sakura shouted, slapping him in the back of the head. "Wha-! Why'd you do that! Some one really is following us! I mean it!" Naruto growled, I looked over in the bush, a pure white rabbit laid frozen, in shock, the kunai knife dug into a tree just over it's head. "Ah! Naruto! Look what you did!" I gasped, Naruto running over. "Ah! A rabbit!" Naruto gasped in shock, picking up the rabbit and hugging it close to his chest. "Oh...I'm sorry little rabbit, I'm sorry!" Naruto frowned, petting it.

 _He's coming..._ A voice rang loudly in my head, I gasped, remembering my dream. "Kakashi-sensei!" I shouted, running towards him. "Hm?" He turned around, his hands in his pockets. "Kakashi-sensei, I should of told you this earlier, I'm sorry, but in my dream there was this scary guy and he had a sword, and-and..." "Look out!" Kakashi yelled, we all ducked down just in time to dodge a sword flung at us, I looked up to a guy... _no! The same guy from my dream!_

 _"_ Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rouge ninja from the village hidden in the mist." Kakashi talked to him like he was an old friend. _Rouge ninja? Whatever. Nothings going to stop me! Ready, go!_ Naruto grinned, I quickly grabbed him by the arm. "No, Naruto..." I gulped, "We don't stand a chance against that guy." I whispered, pulling him back. "(Y/N)? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Naruto exclaimed, shaking his head. "He may be too much for you, but I'm going to wipe the floor with him!" Naruto grinned, tearing his arm loose, "Naruto, stay back." Kakashi pushed him away, "Huh?" "He's in a whole other league. If he's our opponent, I'll need this." Kakashi said, digging his fingers under the cloth of the head band. "This could be treacherous."

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye. Did I get that right?" Zabuza's voice made shivers go up my spine, Sasuke looked at Kakashi with an odd look. _Wait a second, I thought only member's of the Uzumaki clan had the Sharingan...is Kakashi related to Sasuke?!_ I bit down on my bottom lip, looking at them both. _But they look nothing alike, and Kakashi has a different last name!_ I tilted my head. "It's too bad, huh, but you'll have to hand over the old man." _Uhh...Sharingan? What is that?_ Naruto gulped, watching Kakashi intently. _What's he saying? Does he have some special power?_ Sakura gulped. "Now, quick! Manji formation! Protect the bridge builder, and stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, now it's time to use it." Kakashi warned, I watched as Kakashi pulled back his head band. His eye..."I'm ready." Kakashi clenched his fists. _But how? Are they brothers? Cousins? What if Kakashi's...his father!_ I gasped.

"Well, looks like I get to the Sharingan in action. This is an honor." Zabuza breathed, turning around to properly face us. "Everyone keeps saying 'Sharingan, Sharingan.', will some one please tell me what Sharingan is?!" Naruto whined, _What if...he's his mother?! Wait...can guys have babies?_ I scratched my nose. "Sharingan." Sasuke began, I turned my head over to him, _I've barely heard him speak this entire trip._ "A rare power that resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or doujutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, and reflect the attack back on the attacker. The Sharingan is a special, rare form of doujutsu. However, there's more to Sharingan than just that. A lot more." Sasuke looked over to the side, a pained expression on his face. "You got it right, boy, but you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyze an opponents technique, and then copy it to the smallest detail." Zabuza looked down at us, his eyes seemed to pierce through your body. Mist flowed towards us, quickly catching me by surprise, I jumped back, guarding the bridge builder. "As for you, Jounin, in the assassination unit of the hidden mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile was in our bingo book. It called you the man who copied over a thousand jutsu, Kakashi, the copy ninja."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Naruto smiled, "Yeah!" I agreed, snapping out of my thoughts. Wait a minute. The Sharingan is a rare trait that only occurs in a few members of the Uchiha clan, could he be...? Sasuke was staring at Kakashi intensely. "Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man, now." Zabuza stood up straight on his sword, "Gah!" Tazuna took a step back. Quickly, the four of us surrounded him, I held onto my kunai tightly. "So, I'll have to eliminate you first, eh, Kakashi? So be it." Zabuza grunted, pulling his sword out of the tree as he dashed into the mist. "He's over there!" I gulped, he moved lightning fast. "Standing on the water!" Sakura watched in awe. _He's building up a huge amount of chakura!_ I shivered, feeling it linger in the air.

"Ninja art, hidden mist jutsu!" Zabuza vanished into thin air. "Sensei!" Sakura called out, starting to shake. "He'll come after me first." Kakashi's back was turned to us. "But who is he?" Sakura asked, her knuckles turning white from holding onto the kunai so tightly. "Zabuza Momochi, the ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Unit. He's a master of the silent killing technique." Kakashi's fists were clenched, his Sharingan scanned the area. "Silent?" Naruto asked, looking a bit confused. "As the name suggests, it happens in an instant, with out sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast, you pass from this life with out realizing what has happened. The Sharingan can not fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard." Kakashi explained, leaving his brief warning linger in the air, I stiffened up. "The mist is getting thicker and thicker..." Naruto's arm touched mine. "The Land Of the Waves is surrounded by ocean, the swirling mists are ever present." Tazuna explained, looking around wearily. "Sensei." Sakura gulped, Kakashi vanished into the mist.

"Eight points." A soft voice lingered. "Huh? What was that?" I whispered. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart, now, which will be my kill point?" Zabuza grinned from under his mask, I held my breath. Kakashi made a quick hand sign, his chakura bursted into the air, pushing some of the thicker mist away from us, I sighed in relief when I saw Kakashi again.

 _What an intense thirst for blood..._ Sasuke started shaking wildly, I looked over at him, his dark eyes grew. _One shallow breath...one tiny movement from that eye...is enough to bring on instant death. If it goes on like this...I'll go insane. The clash of two Jonin intent to kill...I've never felt any thing so...chilling._ _ **It's as if my life is being chocked off!**_ "Sasuke?" I whispered, he was in his own world. _**No! I cant bear it!**_ Sasuke slowly moved the kunai, holding onto it with both hands. **_I'd rather take my own life!_** "Sasuke!" I shouted, he gasped, looking back over at me. "Calm down, don't worry, I'll protect you! I won't allow any of my friend to die, trust me." I smiled, he started to go back to normal, lowering the kunai. "I wouldn't be so sure." Zabuza called out, his cold breath batting against my neck, I froze in fear. "It's over-gah!" I slowly turned my head, Kakashi-sensei... _ **stuck a knife inside of Zabuza!**_ Sasuke pulled me towards him, my shoulder hit his chest. "Sensei! Behind you!" I shouted, pointing a finger a the real Zabuza standing right behind him, his water clone burst, splashing the ground.

In a flash, Zabuza sliced Kakashi in half, but **_it was another water clone!_** Sasuke had his arm's wrapped around me, Naruto was stomping our way. "Don't move." Kakashi threatened, holding a kunai up to Zabuza's throat, Naruto stopped mid way, turning back to what was happening right in front of him. "Now it's over." Zabuza stood still.


	8. The Oath of Pain

The wind whistled through the trees, we all stayed deathly silent. "You're finished." Kakashi kept his hand steady, watching Zabuza closely. "All right!" Naruto smiled, I stayed still, Sasuke didn't let go. Zabuza chuckled, I shivered. "Finished? You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation, I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you. Ha, you are full of surprises though." Kakashi squinted his eyes. "You'd already copied my water clone jutsu when that kid made their little speech. Very skillfully executed, nice try. But I'm not that easily fooled." Zabuza jumped out of the mist, right behind Kakashi, his clone bursted. "Hey! That one's a clone too!" Naruto gasped. Zabuza swung his sword back around, Kakashi quickly ducked, the blade dug into the earth. Turning his body around, Zabuza kicked Kakashi in the side, he went flying through the air. "Now!" Zabuza grunted, picking his sword up quickly as he ran into the mist. _Huh? Makibishi spikes?_ Zabuza skidded to a halt. "Trying to slow me down, hmph, foolish." Zabuza shook his head, jumping back into the water. _I can't believe Kakashi-sensei got kicked through the air like that!_ I gulped, Naruto quickly scampered over to us. "He has great physical skill too..." Sasuke whispered, I watched the water intently.

 _This isn't normal water...it's dense, heavy._ Kakashi sat up, completely soaked. "Ha, fool! Water prison jutsu!" Zabuza grinned, using a quick set of hand signs, Zabuza had Kakashi in a ball of water before he could even turn around. "This prison may be made of water, but it's harder than steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move, so much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later, but first, I'll pay you cute little friend there a visit," Zabuza grinned under his mask. "No!" Kakashi clenched his fists.

"It's him!" I gasped, clutching onto my kunai, Zabuza appeared from the water. "You think wearing a head band makes you a ninja. When you've hovered between life an death so many times it doesn't faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly your profile is entered in my bingo book, then you may have earned the title ninja. But to call up starts like you ninja is a joke." Zabuza made a quick hand sign, mist poured in, he vanished. _He disappeared again_! I looked around wildly. In a flash, he reappeared, sending Naruto flying with a kick to the stomach, his head band came off. "Naruto!" I screamed, clasping my hands together, my eyes felt like they were on fire, tears slid down my cheeks from the pain. _Snake, ram, dog, rat, snake, tiger! "_ Earth style, stone fist jutsu!" I screamed at the top of my lunges, dashing towards Zabuza full speed, he easily dodged my attack. Aimlessly I swung my fists at him, half blinded by the tears, they wouldn't stop flowing. "Ah, I see, you must be part of the (L/N) Clan..." Zabuza's voice fueled my anger. "The Daigan, a rare kekkei genkai, how ironic, an (L/N) working along side ninja from the Hidden Leaf," I gasped for air, bit of rock falling off of my arms. I opened my eyes as wide as I could, "Die!" I shouted, barely being able to handle to pain, Zabuza sent a flying kick to my stomach, I bent over onto the ground.

"(Y/N)!" Sasuke ran towards Zabuza, he caught him by his collar, holding him up in the air, I started to cough up blood. Sakura watched in horror, slowly my eyes started to relax. I tried to wipe my tears away with my arms, when I looked back down at them, they were coated in red. _Blood?! Where did all of this blood come from?!_ I shook violently, "Sasuke!" Sakura cried. "Listen, (Y/N), get the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep my in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone. But his clone can't go far from his real body! If you run away from him, he can't follow! Now run!" Kakashi shouted, I shook my head. Zabuza threw Sasuke down onto the ground as he turned back to me. _Run away? Not an option. That became unthinkable the moment you got caught. No matter how fast we run or how far we go,_ I scampered up to my feet, holding onto my aching stomach, _he'll track us down, wipe us out. If we try a Manji defense formation he can get around it in an instant. In the end, if we're on our own, we're finished. Our only chance of survival is to rescue Kakashi-sensei._ I breathed heavily, keeping my ground as he walked closer to me. "G-Get away!" I shouted, swinging a weak punch at him, he caught it in his hand. He held onto my arm tightly, pulling me up off the ground, I could feel my shoulder pop. "Gah!" I gasped, gritting my teeth at the pain.

"I can see why Kakashi likes you so much," Zabuza held me up in the air, my arm started to swell. "Your kekkei genkai could be useful, and Haku wouldn't mind a new friend," His fingers dig into my arm, but I couldn't feel it anymore, _my shoulder...he dislocated it!_

"AHHHH!" Naruto couldn't take it any more, he hopped back up on his feet, charging towards Zabuza. "Naruto, no!" I called out, grimacing at the pain. "Naruto, what in the world are you doing?!" Sakura screamed, holding her head as she watched. I looked down, Zabuza was standing right on top of Naruto's head band, _so that's it._ "Fool." Zabuza grunted, turning back to Naruto, kicking him out of the way like he was nothing, the sudden jolt to my arm made pain sting through it, more tears dripped down my face. "You..." I hissed, wildly kicking around.

"What were you thinking, charging at him by yourself?! Even Sasuke couldn't get him! We're only Genin, we can't defeat a Jonin, what'd you think you'd accomplish by that?!" Sakura stomped her foot into the ground, Naruto shook as he slowly climbed back up to his feet, holding onto his head band tightly. "Hey, you, the freak with no eyebrows," Naruto called out, Zabuza shot him a look that would strike fear into anyone, any one but Naruto. "Put this in your bingo book, the ninja that will become Hokage of The Village Hidden in the leaves-" Zabuza shook with anger, his grip on me was vice tight, Naruto tied his head band on. "Never leaves a friend behind, and his name's, Naruto Uzumaki!" He grinned, blood dripping down his chin. "Naruto..." I whispered, smiling as I started to feel light headed. _Huh, I thought this kid was all talk, but this kid's got guts,_ Tazuna looked over at him, everything started to turned into blur.

"All right, Sasuke, listen up! Can you hear me?" Naruto called out, Sasuke was glaring daggers at Zabuza, "Yeah." He grumbled, clenching his fists. "I've got a plan." Naruto nodded. _Now the idiot's got a plan?_ Sasuke looked over to him. "So, now you're thinking about teamwork." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Alright, let's bring this guy down!" Naruto grinned, wiping the blood off of his chin. "Big words for such a little man, you think your plan's going to keep you in the game?" Zabuza grinned, _this isn't good._ "Naruto! Get out of here, leave me behind! Our mission is to protect the bridge builder! Stay on mission!" I cried, shaking my head as I screamed to them, a spark of pain stung my eyes.

Naruto's face grew a pained expression, Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Well...I-I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live. But I won't let that stand in your way now. Forget about me and do what you have to do to save your friends!" Tazuna grunted, clenching his fists. "All right, you hear that?" Sasuke grinned. "Yeah, believe it. You ready?" Naruto whispered back, _they put aside their differences to save us..._ I put my head down, smiling, Zabuza eyed me suspiciously before breaking out in laughter.

"You really haven't learnt anything, have you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja. When I was your age, my hands had already crushed many opponents." Zabuza shook his head. "Zabuza, the demon," Kakashi began, looking over at him from his water prison. "Oh, so I was your book too, huh?" The real Zabuza breathed, his clone turned his head over to me before throwing me back to the original. "Gah!" I shrieked, colliding with his chest, my arm flopped uselessly in the air, he hoisted me over his shoulder, I barely had the strength left to keep my eyes open. "Long ago, in the village hidden in the mist, before a student could become a ninja, there was one final test." Kakashi began, I saw him in the corner of my eye. "Hm? Do you know about the graduation exam?" Zabuza looked over at Kakashi. "What graduation exam?" Naruto asked curiously, Zabuza started laughing again, I started to shake. "What's the big deal anyway? We had graduation tests too." Naruto started to get annoyed by Zabuza's laughter. "Did you have to kill the other students to pass?" I shuddered, the blood on my face dried. "Imagine young ninja like you, eating together, training together, and then comes the final exam. Only they changed the rules, kill or be killed. You can't stop while your opponent still breathes, he was your friend, shared your dreams. It's him or you." Zabuza looked down at them angrily.

"That's...so cruel..." I closed my eyes, my throat hurt. "Ten years ago in The Village Hidden In the Mist, the graduation exam changed. One year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror." Kakashi-sensei explained, watching Zabuza intently. "What's he saying? What evil? What kind of change? What caused the terror?" Sakura asked, her legs lightly shaking.

"With out pause or hesitation, a young boy who wasn't even a ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students." Kakashi clenched his fists, I stayed still. "It..." Zabuza's chest rumbled, I slowly turned my head over to him. "It felt so..."

" **Good!"** I started to shake, being so close to this monster, I was more terrified then I had been in my entire life. I watched in horror as Zabuza kick Sasuke to the ground before elbowing him full force into the stomach, "You... **bastard!** " I seethed, with my last bit on energy, I slid down his chest, sinking my teeth into his shoulder, "Little...gah!" Zabuza hit me in the back, I heard a loud crack, but no pain followed, I couldn't move. Zabuza dug his heel into Sasuke's stomach, he started to cough up blood, Kakashi started to shake with anger, furiously glaring at Zabuza, a large bruise started to form on his shoulder, I was immobile, laying on the ground next to his feet.

"Stop right there!" Naruto screamed, "Shadow clone jutsu!" Zabuza looked around, he kept his foot on my back, holding me against the ground. "Oh, shadow clones, and there's quite a few of them," He put his hand on the hilt of his sword, the real Zabuza glared down at me angrily. All of Naruto's shadow clones jumped on him, forming a large pile, I couldn't find Zabuza's clone amidst them all. With a small movement of his sword, Zabuza pushed off of the clones off of him, they went flying through the air. "N-Naruto..." I whispered, Zabuza started to add pressure on my back with his foot, I gritted my teeth.

"His skills are too advanced, he's too powerful. There's no way to defeat him." Tazuna clenched his fists, Sakura couldn't stop shaking, she was so afraid she couldn't speak.

"I'm not giving up! I still have this!" Naruto shouted, digging through his back pack. Naruto threw a large folded up shuriken at Sasuke, Sasuke caught it easily. _So that's your plan? Not bad for a fool like you._ Sasuke stood up, clutching onto the metal tightly. I slowly turned my head. _A shuriken?_ Dirt smudged on my face as I watched. "Hm?" Zabuza's clone watched as Sasuke swung open the blades. "Demon wind shuriken: windmill of shadows!" _what kind of made up name is that?_ I would of laughed if I could move. "A shuriken? You'll never touch me with that." Zabuza grunted. Sasuke jumped up in the air with a grin, throwing the shuriken as hard as he could, it passed Zabuza's clone, aiming for his real body! I smiled.

 _So, you passed the clone and aimed for my real body, smart._ Zabuza watched the shuriken fly closer to him. _But no smart enough._ Zabuza caught the shuriken with his open hand, I bit down on my tongue. "Huh?" Zabuza looked up at another shuriken aimed his way. _A second shuriken in the shadow of the first, the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu! Amazing Sasuke!_ I watched, anticipating the hit. _The second shuriken's on target, and he can't catch this one._ Sakura watched, smiling.

Zabuza jumped up in the air, dodging the shuriken successfully. I took the moment he was up on the air, and with my left leg I tried my best to kick myself out of the way, but only managed to veer my self to the right. As Zabuza landed, his foot directly hit my arm, I heard a loud crack. In a moment of complete terror I looked over at my left arm. It was completely black and purple, swollen and bent out of shape, _thank god it's numb._

The shuriken behind him went up in a puff of smoke, and out came Naruto. I gasped, lifting my head up off the ground, my eyes glistened with excitement as he came charging at Zabuza, kunai in hand. "What?" Zabuza turned his head around to see Naruto flying at him. "Eat this!" He shouted flinging the kunai at him, a large smile found its way to my face, Zabuza gritted his teeth.


	9. Kakashi, The Sharingan Warrior

The kunai came flying towards Zabuza's face, just before it could land a direct hit, Zabuza jumped out of the way, letting go of the water prison. But Zabuza didn't dodge it completely, a small cut hit right beneath his eye. Zabuza turned around, furious, the large shuriken still in his hand, he spun it around wildly, Naruto's eyes widened. "I'll destroy you!" Zabuza grunted, about to fly the shuriken at Naruto. In a spray of blood, Kakashi caught the blade in his hand, drops of blood mixed in with the water below. Naruto fell into the lake. "Kakashi-sensei!" I gasped, smiling ear to ear.

"Naruto, that was an excellent plan, you've really grown, haven't you?" Kakashi praised, but he didn't look away from Zabuza. The intenseness of his stare was chilling. "I knew I couldn't beat him with my shadow clones, that was just to distract him. While he fought the clones, I turned into the demon wind shuriken. He didn't know what to do, believe it! I used one of the clones to transfer into the shuriken, so when I threw it to Sasuke, it looked like a real shuriken. Sasuke could tell it was me in a second, he spun me around so no one could see and pulled out his own shuriken. I hid in the shadow of the real shuriken, and my target was the real Zabuza! Of course, I knew I couldn't fight Zabuza myself, I had to break up his water prison, but I didn't know his clone would get wreaked too, ha! That was a bonus, believe it!" Naruto grinned, I looked over at the large puddle of water the clone left behind.

"Don'r brag, you just lucked out." Sasuke looked over at me, slowly I moved my legs, trying my best to crawl out of the water. "(Y/N), don't move, you're arm's on a bad enough position, we don't want it to get any worse." Kakashi smiled down at me, I smiled back. "It was just a fluke!" Tazuna said, stomping his foot into the ground angrily. _You can call it a fluke, but their teamwork was flawless. They knew what to do with out even talking about. Most of the time, they act like they hate each other, and yet, they're a perfect team._ I sighed, resting my head back on the ground, the water soaked the bottom half of my body.

"I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison." Zabuza and Kakashi had the most intense staring contest I've ever seen, pure hatred burned in their eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. You weren't distracted, you were forced to let go." I watched closely.

Zabuza's eye twitched slightly as he started to dig the blade of the shuriken deeper into Kakashi's hand, Kakashi fought against the blade, reading Zabuza's movements closely before flinging the shuriken off, I gulped. The both jumped back at the same time, landing on the water, small waves came up to my feet, Naruto watched, his mouth wide open. "The sharingan..." Sasuke watched his eye intently.

"Ushi, Sara, Oo, Nae, Ee," They were mirroring each others hand signs, their hands moved so quickly I could barely keep up. " **Tori!** " They both said together, simultaneously. "Water style, water dragon jutsu!" Waves formed between them, the water climbed my legs like a ladder. Water bursted up in the air, two twin dragons came at each other, full force, water engulfed my whole body. Bubbles popped up from my mouth, the entire area was flooded, I couldn't breath!

Zabuza and Kakashi were fighting, blade to blade, the sound of clinking metal could clearly be heard, even from underwater. I pushed my self up, gasping for air, I floated on the top of the water unmoving as I continued to cough. A silent click of a heel came from behind, I looked up to see... _who in the world is that?_ I looked up to see someone in the trees, peering down at us.

 _Something isn't right. The sharingan can comprehend the enemies technique, however...both jutsu occurred simultaneously. Could he...?_ They jumped away from each other, I turned my attention back to the fight, they started to run in a perfect circle. "He's not just following..." I washed back up on shore, laying down in the mud. "He moves the same way at the same time..." I bit down on my bottom lip, Sasuke knelt down to me. "How's he doing that, Sasuke?" I asked looking up at him, his arms were some what comforting, I rested my head against his chest.

 _My movements...it's as if-it's as if he knows what I'm-"_ Going to do next." Kakashi finished, _what? Is he reading my mind as well? He looks at me with that eye._ Zabuza gritted his teeth. "It makes you furious, doesn't it." Kakashi followed his hand sign. "All you're doing is copying me like a monkey," Zabuza shook his head. " **You can't beat me with cheap tricks, I'll crush you-** gah!" Kakashi spoke the same words Zabuza did, anger boiled up inside of him. "When I'm finished with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!" Zabuza threatened, but soon he stopped moving. _What is that?! It's me, but how? Is it his illusion jutsu?_ Zabuza looked at the mirrored image of himself, distracted by what Kakashi was doing. "Water style, giant vortex jutsu!" Water sprouted up around Kakashi. "What?" Zabuza breathed out, watching the water start to ripple violently. "Impossible-AH!" Zabuza was hit full force with a large wall of water, **he was blasted away!**

Sasuke held onto my tightly as the rapid waters swished past us, Zabuza was thrown back onto a tree, in an instant, the stranger in the tree was gone. Kakashi flew kunai at Zabuza, pinning his arms to the tree. "You're finished." Kakashi looked down at him, the water starting to mellow down.

"How? Can you see into the future?" Zabuza grunted, blood dripping down the sides of the tree. "Yes, this is your last battle, ever." Kakashi said menacingly, holding up a kunai knife. I gulped. Three identical needles swished through the air, **hitting Zabuza right in the side of his neck.** Kakashi looked up at the tree the same time I did, _it was the strange guy from earlier._ Zabuza slid down the tree, **dead.**

"You were right, it was his last battle." The stranger said softly, a large white mask covering their face. Naruto climbed out of the water, glaring daggers at Sasuke, I didn't want to leave his arms. Kakashi jumped down from the tree, looking down at Zabuza's corpse. "Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time," The stranger bowed, there was an off feeling about them. "waiting for this chance to finally take him down." Kakashi stared at the stranger intently. "By your mask, I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden In the Mist." _Tracker ninja, what's that?_ I wondered, Naruto stomped over to us. "Impressive, you're well informed." The stranger smiled from under their mask. "A tracker!" Naruto clenched his fist. "Naruto, you don't even know what that is. You and (Y/N) missed the lesson on it, like usual. Tracker ninja have a special role, try coming to class sometime." Sakura shook her head. "When a rouge ninja breaks away from their village, they carry all kinds of secrets with them, the secrets of their people. Trackers are specifically trained to hunt down these ninja and eliminate them. That was the secrets of their people remain secrets." Sakura rested her hands on her hips.

"That's correct. I'm a member of the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden In the Mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza." I looked up at them, they turned their head towards me, everything about them was wrong, I eyed them suspiciously. _From their size and the sound of their voice, they must be the same age as Naruto. Yet, he's an elite assassin?_ I bit down on my lip, the wind started to pick up. _They're no ordinary kid, what are they?_ I kept staring at them, Naruto stomped angrily over to them, _what are you doing Naruto?_

"What is this?! Who do you think you are?!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at them. "Did you hear me?!" "Easy Naruto, they're not our enemy." Kakashi walked over to him, crossing his arms. "Huh? That's not the point! Did you see what he did, just like that? Zabuza was huge and powerful, like some kind of monster, and this kid, who's no bigger than me, he brought down Zabuza with one move, like it was nothing! I mean, what does that make us?!" Sasuke glared at Naruto angrily, I looked away. "We're just fumbling around, we don't know anything, how can I accept that?!" Naruto shouted at Kakashi. "Well, even if you don't accept it, it still happened, Naruto." Kakashi turned his back on him, taking a step closer to Sasuke. "In this world, there are kids who are younger than you and yet stronger than me." Kakashi crossed his arms, looking down at me, I looked back up at him with a smile, moving slightly in Sasuke's arms.

The stranger jumped down from the tree, walking over to Zabuza's body, they knelt down, throwing his arm over there shoulder as they stood up. "Your struggle is over for you now, I must deal with the remains." They stood up, dragging Zabuza's legs on the ground. "There are many secrets in this body, they must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me. Fare well." They vanished in a swirl of leaves, I watched in awe.

"Sasuke, you can hand (Y/N) over to me now," Kakashi held his arms out. "I have to get that arm in a better position." Sasuke looked at me with worry full eyes, but it seemed like he didn't want to move. Naruto was steaming. "Where'd they go off to?! I can't believe it!" Naruto clenched his fists angrily, I felt Kakashi put his arms on my back. Slowly, Sasuke started to let go. He carefully lifted my arm up to my chest, I sniffled as I looked down at it. "We're not done with our mission. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge." Kakashi looked over at Tazuna, he had his hand in his cap. "Sorry I caused all this trouble for ya, but you can rest at my house when we get to the village, my daughter can help you with that kids arm." Tazuna held onto the arm of his backpack tightly.

"Alright, let's get a move on-gah...!" Kakashi's eye widened. "Kakashi-sensei?" I asked looking up at him, he waved in the air a bit, _he's going to faint!_ "Kakashi-sensei-AH!" He fell back onto the ground in a loud thud, pain ran through my arm as I landed uncomfortably on his chest. "Kakashi-sensei!" I shouted, moving my shaking legs onto the ground, standing up before falling directly into Sasuke, he caught me with ease. Sakura eyed us suspiciously. "Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto crouched down on the ground, he was out cold.


	10. The Forest of Chakra

"I think I over did it with my sharingan..." Kakashi sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "You're finally awake. You alright?" A lady with long black hair stood over his bed, her hands on her hips. "I've been better...where's (Y/N)?" Kakashi asked, trying to sit up, his body shook lightly. "They're fine, resting over there, it's better if you don't move. Just lie back down." She said with a smile, Kakashi plopped his head back down on the pillow, looking over at me, unconscious. A large white cast pulled my arm across my chest, bandages were wrapped around my stomach and back, while a brace was tightly fastened to my right foot.

"Look, sensei's coming around," Naruto had a small smile as he turned around the corner, Kakashi eyed him. "Listen, sensei, your sharingan is amazing and everything, but if it puts that much strain on you, maybe it's not worth it." Sakura knelt down on the floor. "Sorry..." He mumbled through his mask. "Huh, well, you did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassins, so we'll be safe for a while." Tazuna nodded, waving a fan at his face. Sasuke slowly walked over to me. "How's (Y/N) doing?" He asked, the lady walked over to him. Naruto joined them. "I'm surprised how well they've been handling the pain, it's even more surprising how fast their wounds are healing. I'd say it would only take a week for them to be able to walk around with out any casts on." She put her hand on her chin, I stirred in my bed sheets.

 _"I can not believe you did something as stupid as that! Rushing in against Zabuza even though you knew that you couldn't beat him! And most importantly, you didn't take anything I was showing you seriously!"_ Dad yelled at me, his arms crossed. "Sorry..." I mumbled, "Huh?" Sasuke looked down at me. " _It's alright, but now you've got to listen to me! You have a special kekkei genkai that people would kill to get there hands on, you can't go running around with it like it's some kind of toy! The daigan is a powerful dojutsu passed down in our clan."_ He shook his head, I looked up at him, not being able to move. "What...is it?" I moved my head side to side in my sleep, every one watched me intently.

 _"There's still danger, Zabuza can come back and take you!"_ His eyes were furious, burning orange. "But...Zabuza's gone...the tracking ninja..." I grumbled, puffing out my cheeks. " _I'll show you!" He grabbed onto my shoulder, pulling my deeper into the dream._

 _Zabuza was laid out on the grass, the tracker ninja kneeling over his body. They pulled out a large bundle of tools, taking a menacing looking pair of scissors. "First, I'll cut the bandage and drain some blood-!" Zabuza grabbed their hand before they could touch him. "That's enough!" He pulled his mask down, sharp teeth glistened in the sun light, I shivered. "I'll do it." He kept a strong hold on the tracker ninja's arm. "So, you've already come back to life. "Damn it." He sat up, pulling a long needle out of his neck. "You're brutal." He grunted, blood dripped onto the grass. "You're the one that's brutal, Zabuza. Breaking the poor kids arm like that, it was all battered and bruised." They shook their head, Zabuza threw the bloody needles to the ground. "How long are you planning to wear that phony mask?" Zabuza crossed his arms, avoiding the question. "I've got good memories of this mask, and it was quite useful tricking that ninja." They touched it softly, leaving it on. "If I hadn't intervened, you'd be dead now." They warned, Zabuza spitted over to the side. "That much is certain."_

 _"Putting me in a temporary death state is fine, but not through the pressure point's in my neck." Zabuza pushed his mask back up, covering his shark like mouth. "Cruel as usual, I think you enjoy it." Zabuza rubbed his soar neck, looking down at the ground. "It was the only sure way. And I wouldn't want to mark up your flawless body, you'd complain about that even more. Besides, the neck is more vulnerable, there's no layer of muscle, so I could go straight into the pressure points." The fake tracker ninja explained, Zabuza grunted as he tried to stand up. "There's no point trying to move, you'll be numb for a week. Although, if you're stubborn as usual, you'll probably be moving in half the time." They stood back up, Zabuza looked back down at the ground,_ that kid... _Zabuza thought. "The mist is cleared. Next time, will you be alright?" They asked, their voice dipped in concern. "Next time, I'll see right through his sharingan." I jumped._

 _What is this? If Zabuza is finished, then why do I feel this way? Something's wrong. It's like I missed something._ Kakashi pondered, sitting up in his bed. "Hey, are you okay sensei?" Naruto asked, looking back at him. "Hm? Oh, yeah."

I gasped for air, sitting straight up in my bed, every one turned their head towards me. "KAKASHI!" I screamed, jumping up on my feet, I quickly wobbled, Sasuke held onto my shoulders. "(Y/N), calm down." Sasuke looked me in the eyes, I was out of breath. "Where's Kakashi-sensei?!" I shook, "I'm over here..." He mumbled, I turned over to him quickly."Zabuza, he's still alive!" I screamed, Sasuke held onto me. "No way, you guys demolished him," Tazuna waved, Kakashi shook his head. "The throwing needles, t-they just made Zabuza in a temporary death thing, I saw it!" Another wave of pain shot through my arm, I bit down on my lower lip. "You saw it?" Kakashi questioned, I nodded. "Yeah my d-" I stopped, turning my head away. _I can't tell any one that, he's a wanted criminal!_ "What are you saying?" Kakashi turned his head to the side, thinking. "Bu..." Sasuke's arm was wrapped around my shoulder, Naruto and Sakura both had their eyes on us. "I think you should just put...t (Y/N) back down, Sasuke," Naruto stomped over to us, grabbing a hold of my back, it felt sore. "I think you shouldn't touch them with your grimy hands, who knows where you've been with those things." Sasuke pushed Naruto out of the way. "Hey, stop your fighting over there, this is serious." Kakashi shook his head, _but you're right Naruto, I hate the way Sasuke's holding (Y/N)..._

 _"_ Zabuza isn't dead." Kakashi announced to the whole room, I gulped. "But we saw his body, believe it!" Naruto turned around, lightning fast. "Those weapons that tracker used are called senbon. They pierce deeply, but rarely kill, unless they hit a vital organ, but not it the neck. (Y/N), how could you of saw it?" Kakashi asked, a bead of sweat went down the side of my face. "W-Well, um, I-I guessed?" I faked a smile, shrugging my shoulders awkwardly, Kakashi didn't believe a word I said. "Right...well. Trackers are trained to know the human body, making someone's heart stop temporarily is an easy matter for them." Kakashi looked down at the green colored bed sheets.

"Come on, you're over thinking this a bit, aren't ya?" Tazuna scoffed, resting against the wall. "Encountering suspicion, the ninja prepares quickly, hesitation leads to disaster. Every shinobi knows this saying." Kakashi looked back up, I sat back down on the bed, Sasuke let go but he stood closely next to me, Naruto was close on my other side, his arms crossed with a small grin on his face. _He's happy that Zabuza's still alive. Now Naruto's got another shot at him._ I smiled over at him. _That means I've got another shot at him too._

"Sensei, you said prepare quickly, but how are we going to do that when you can barely move?" Sakura asked, watching him intently. "Ha, I can still train you." Kakashi smiled from underneath his mask. "Hang on! A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza! You could barely defeat him, even with your sharingan! We've got to be reasonably about this!" _What, is this guy trying to get us all killed?!_ Sakura clenched her fists. "Sakura, why was I able to stop Zabuza? Because you all helped me. You've all grown." Kakashi-sensei said with a smile. "Now things are going to get better, believe it!" Naruto grinned ear from ear.

"I don't believe it! And nothings going to be good!" A voice called out from across the room, I looked over to see a small boy in blue shorts and a large white hat. "Who are you?!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him. "Inari, where have you been?" Tazuna smiled, holding his arms out. Inari came running to him in a big hug, "Welcome back grandpa!" Tazuna held him in his arms. "Inari, that was very rude! These ninja helped your grandpa and brought him here safely." Tazuna's daughter shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm rude to them too." Tazuna smiled, petting Inari on the head. Inari looked at us all with squinted eyes.

"Mom, don't you see, these people are all going to die. Gato and his men will come back and find them and wipe them out!" Inari stood up, facing his mother. "What did you say, brat?" Naruto stomped his foot onto the ground. "Listen up! You know what a super ninja is? Well that's me, only a lot better!" I shook my head, "Oh, give me a break," I sighed under my breath, a small smile tugged on Sasuke's lips.

"I'm gonna be Hokage! This Blato, or whatever he's called is not match for a real hero like me!" Naruto held his fist up in the air. "There's no such thing as a hero, you're just full of stupid ideas." Inari turned his head away. "What'd you say?!" Naruto shrieked, Sakura held him by the collar, like a rabid dog. "Naruto, calm down!" She seethed. "If you want to stay alive, you should go back where you came from." Inari turned his back away from us, heading out the front door. "Inari, wait, where are you going?" Tazuna asked, Inari turned his head back around. "To look out at the ocean. I want to be alone." Inari slammed the doors behind him.

"Alright, your training starts now." Kakashi-sensei looked over at the three of them, I sat down on the grass, watching. _Kakashi-sensei wanted to talk to me about something important,_ I bit down on my bottom lip, _I myself have been wanting to ask him about something._ I rubbed the back of my neck with my good hand, watching Naruto blabber about something, _he sure does talk a lot, doesn't he? And whats with this whole new 'Believe it' thing. It's starting to get annoying._ I glared over at them, Sakura had pulled out a scroll and started explaining it to Naruto's confused face, showing pictures to go along with her lecture. _And how about that Sasuke guy? I don't mind him catching me when I fall, but he holds onto me afterwards, it's starting to creep me out. Ugh, no wonder why Sakura's been angry at me, I already told her a million times that I don't care about her boy friend Sasuke!_ I shook my head. "Climb a tree?!" Naruto shouted, putting his hands on his hips. _Awe man, that sounds like fun!_ I puffed out my cheeks. _Why'd it have to be my arm that gets broken?_

"Wow!" I gasped, watching Kakashi easily walk up the tree as if he was ambling down a street. He hung up side down from the branch, I saw his mask move slightly, but I couldn't make out a word Kakashi was saying. He threw down three kunai, they hit the floor in front of Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. I gulped. "I'm ready! This is going to be easy, no sweat, believe it!" Naruto's voice was so loud, you could hear it all through out the forest.

The three of them charged towards the trees, I tilted my head. Naruto fell down on his back instantly, "Pfft..." I held my mouth, trying not to laugh. Sasuke got halfway up the tree, marking it with the kunai before jumping back down on the ground, I then looked over to Sakura...she was standing on the top of the tree, sticking her tongue out at me, I gritted my teeth.

Kakashi slowly walked down from the tree, mumbling something to Naruto and Sasuke as he passed them, I stood up, leaning against the tree for support as I reached out for my crutches. "(Y/N), there's a reason I didn't want you to train with the rest of them," Kakashi began, I looked down at the ground. "I already know, I got my self beat up. I'm weaker than they are..." I glanced at my cast. "You're wrong." Kakashi said sternly, I looked back over at him. "The reason I didn't want to train you with them, is because it would be too easy for you. You've already got a good amount of Chakra control. I've got a different training for you to do." Kakashi leaned next to me, he looked a bit tired. "Kakashi-sensei," I asked, he looked over at me. "What exactly is Daigan?" I wondered, he closed his eye.

"Daigan is a kekkei genkai that you possess," Kakashi began, I tilted my head. "A kekkei what?" I asked, he sighed. "A kekkei genkai, your blood line trait. You were born with the Daigan, a kekkei genkai exclusive to the (L/N) clan. Unfortunately, you, your brother, and your father are the last of the (L/N) clan." Kakashi explained, I watched him intently. "What happened to them?" I looked over at him, interested. "Your clan...was exterminated." My eyes widened. _E-Exterminated? What does Kakashi-sensei mean by exterminated?_ "Your clan held such a powerful kekkei genkai that it brought fear to the hidden villages, there was no way to tell who had the Daigan until they used it. The Daigan when used properly can easily put any one in a coma, and in extreme kill them." Kakashi's tone went dark, _h-how could my eyes do something like that? Why has the village kept this a secret from me? "_ My eyes, when they were bleeding, I activated the Daigan..." I looked down at the ground. "Yes, when you were fighting Zabuza, but that's not the only time I've seen you with the Daigan. Your eyes, they flash a bright orange when your angry, or at least that's when it seems to come out." I gulped, _the burning in my eyes, that must be the Daigan..._ "I have to train you to call on your Daigan, to get your eyes used to using it, so they won't bleed so much. It's power is too strong for your eyes to handle." Kakashi explained, the grass shifted under my feet.

"What can we do to call out the Daigan?" I asked, turning my head to him. "Well, I guess we have to get you angry." Kakashi looked up at the sky, I tilted my head. "Well, I feel pretty good right now, I don't think anything could really-Kakashi-sensei, where are you taking my crutches?" I watched him throw them over his shoulder as he waddled away. "H-Hey!" I threw my leg onto the ground, slowly chasing after him. "Meet me back at the bridge builders house, we'll talk more about it there." Kakashi waved as he continued to walk away. "Kakashi-sensei! I'm going to-ugh!" I threw my fists in the air, chasing after him as quickly as I could, my leg stinging violently the entire time.

I reached the front door of the house, gasping fro breath. The waves calmly lapped, I banged on the door. Tazuna's daughter opened, "Oh, welcome back (Y/N)! Mr. Kakashi is waiting for you in the dining room, I just started making lunch." She smiled, I was furious. "Thank you." I growled, stepping into the house. "Kakashi!" I seethed, stomping over to him. "'I don't think anything could really get me angry', you look pretty infuriated to me." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, I clenched my fists. "Whatever, when are we really going to start training for the Daigan?!" I asked, crossing my arms. "Hmm, maybe after dinner? I should probably go tell Naruto and Sasuke to come back inside...but I'm not so sure they'd come back inside." Kakashi rubbed his chin. "I'm not hungry, I want to continue our training!" I grinned, clenching my good fist. "Well, I guess we could do something while we waited." Kakashi grabbed ahold of his crutches, "Let's go for a walk then." He turned towards the back door. "A walk? How will that help?" I huffed, he waved his finger. "You'll see." He walked out, I followed close behind.

It is a beautiful town, crystal clear waters, a lush forest, "It's really nice here." I smiled, looking out at the water. "Good." Kakashi said right before pushing me. "GAH!" I gasped, falling off the board walk and into the water. "KAKASHI!" I screamed, splashing around, I was completely soaked. He looked into my eyes, "Wait! Is the Daigan there?!" I grinned, he shook his head. "No." Kakashi sighed, I rested my elbow on the water pulling myself back up to my feet. I walked across the water, dragging my foot to the boardwalk. "I've got to think of something..." He looked like he was in thought, I crossed my arms. Kakashi pushed me back into the water with his leg, I caught a hold of him and pulled him down with me.

His grey hair sunk down on the top of his head, I grinned over at him, sticking my tongue out. He squinted his eye at me, I couldn't help but laugh at him, and to my surprise, a splash of water came hurtling my way. Now it was Kakashi's turn to smile. Gritting my teeth, I quickly glided my arm across the water, it soaked through my cast as I sprayed him back. Before long it turned into a water fight. _I know how to make (Y/N) angry, but they seem to be having so much fun..._ "I'm going to get you Kakashi-sensei!" I giggled, splashing another water attack his way, he dodged it just in the nick of time. "I hope you haven't forgotten that we are still in the middle of our training." Kakashi called out, I looked up at him. "You're right! Let's get on with it!" I smiled, climbing back up on the board walk, Kakashi followed close behind.

"I bet she finished making dinner," Kakashi mumbled to himself. "We can eat after-" "You can't train properly on an empty stomach." He warned, "That's funny for you to say." I grumbled, turning my head away from him. _I have to get the Daigan, I have to take down Zabuza!_ "If you're not going to come along with me, then I'll meet you back here afterwards," Kakashi waved, I puffed out my cheeks. _I wonder how Naruto and Sasuke are doing with their tree climbing._ I thought to myself, walking off in the other direction.

Naruto was gasping for air on the ground, looking up at the tree, it was riddles with scratches from his kunai. "Hey, how are you guys doing?" I looked at the two of them, they were both out of breath and covered with dirt. "Wow, Naruto, you've been working hard, huh." I looked up at the tree, Naruto grinned. "Yeah! Of course, what else could you expect from an amazing ninja like me?" He jumped back up on his feet, something seemed off about him, but I shook my suspicions off. "Hey, uh, I heard Kakashi-sensei mention that you were good at that kind of stuff," He whispered to me, Sasuke looked over at the two of us suspiciously. "So, what's the secret? How can I get better at chakura control?" Naruto asked, I smiled, looking up at the tree. "Well...I just focus. I think about nothing but the bottoms of feet, of course now I can do it with out hesitation, but when I was practicing, I just had to zone everything out. It was the only way I got it." I whispered back to him, rubbing the back of my neck with my good arm, Naruto listened intently. "Thanks a lot (Y/N)!" He grinned, jumping back up on his feet, determination washed over his features, I smiled. "I just stopped by to check on you guys, I happy I could help Naruto. Oh, but one more thing," I cupped the side of my face. "Naruto, you better get up that tree quick, Sasuke's way ahead of you right now." I warned Naruto, Sasuke heard what I said, a small smile found its way on his face. "See you guys later!" I waved, turning my way around.

After walking a little ways back from where I came from, I heard a loud shout come from behind. Instantly I started to run towards the direction, back to Naruto. As I made my way through the trees, I stopped, my eyes wide as I saw...


	11. The Land Where a Hero Once Lived

The clanking of metal, and boards being hammered down was all that could be heard from miles around, Sakura yawned, comfortably sitting off to the side as she watched Tazuna and his men work on the bridge. "You always this lazy?" Tazuna asked her, walking as he carried a large plank over his shoulder. "Where's the weird blond kid, the dark one with the attitude, and the beat up one?" He asked, standing in front of her. "They're training, climbing trees." Sakura explained. "Too tough for you?" He asked, walking past her. "No, in fact, I'm the best. That's why the sensei sent me here to guard you." Sakura said smugly, smiling at her self. "You must be joking." Tazuna put the board down, wiping sweat from his forehead.

 _N-No! It can't be!_ I shook, looking with wide eyes at Zabuza standing over Naruto, Naruto was paralyzed on the ground. "Naruto!" I screamed, Sasuke stood still, watching. I ran to him as quickly as I could, swinging my good arm at Zabuza, he dodged easily. Naruto was laying down on the grass, a kunai stuck in his stomach, a trail of blood dripped down the side of his face. "No! Naruto!" I cried, tears leaked down the sides of my face. " **I'll kill you!** " I screamed, my eyes burning wildly as I jumped at Zabuza, tears streamed down the sides of my face, Zabuza disappeared, I landed on the grass, furiously looking around. "Perfect. Now, stay angry." Kakashi walked out from behind a tree, I focused on the burning in my eyes. "Y-You!" I seethed, clenching my fist.

"Tazuna, uh, I need to talk to you." Giichi called out to him, walking over a bit slowly. "Huh? What about?" Tazuna asked, turning back around to meet him. "Uh, the thing is, I've been thinking a lot about this bridge. And I decided I've push my luck far enough, I want out." Giichi gulped, Sakura watched them talk. "Now you're going to quit on me, just like that? You're kidding!" Tazuna clenched his fists, anger bubbled up inside of him. "You know, I stayed on because of our friendship, but I'm putting my life on the line every day I stay here. Gato and his thugs will show up here eventually. When they do, they'll kill you, and the bridge will never get finished anyway. It's a lost cause Tazuna, why don't we stop now while we can still get out of this alive?" Giichi hung his head low. "No chance." Tazuna grunted. "Huh?" Giichi looked back up at him. "This is our bridge, our island is poor, and it will stay that way until the bridge connects us to the mainland. Commerce, trade, and hope, that's what we're building here." Tazuna crossed his arms. "There's not going to be much hope if we're all dead." Giichi shook his head, Sakura had a sad expression on her face.

"It's already noon, let's break for lunch." Tazuna began, walking by Giichi. "Tazuna, let's not end it like this!" Giichi reached out to him. "Save your breath. Oh, and Giichi, don't bother coming back after lunch."

"Keep it just like that." Kakashi stepped closer to me, both Naruto and Sasuke went up in a puff of smoke. I scrunched up my nose, my eyes were burning terribly, blood dripped from them. I looked up at Kakashi, right in his eyes, he started to wobble back and fourth. "Kakashi-sensei?" I asked, his eyes drooped down. "I-I'm fine...just sleepy...you're doing it right." He said, passing out on the grass, my eyes stopped burning, they became more comfortable. I looked at Kakashi's head band, large orange eyes looked back at me. "We did it! Kakashi-sensei! We did it!" I laughed, shaking him awake. His eyes slowly opened. "Good job. Let's get back to that lunch." He stood back up, still a bit shaky. "No way! I've got to perfect it!" I said determined, Kakashi sighed. "Fine. But I am really hungry, I'll meet you out here again." He waved, I wiped the blood off of my face.

"Ugh! Why is it so hard!" Naruto whined, stomping his foot on the ground, I was comfortably sitting down on the ground. A brow rabbit jumped next to me, _sleep,_ I whispered in my head, I gracefully fell to the ground, dozing off. I was surrounded by a circle of sleeping forest animals. Sasuke panted as he jumped back down on the ground, Naruto looked over at Sasuke with angry eyes, Sasuke looked back at him. _I'm not going to loose to you!_ Naruto growled, darting at the tree, Sasuke ran at the same time, I watched them intently.

Naruto fell back down, Sasuke kept going. _He's still climbing! Impossible!_ Naruto clenched his fists, I looked up at a bird, _sleep,_ I dropped down softly into my lap. _Damn! He's catching up to me, inch by inch!_ Sasuke glared down at him as he jumped back down onto the ground. _No, no, no! If I think about Sasuke, I'll loose my concentration! Believe it!_ Naruto shook his head, _come on Naruto, center yourself!_ Naruto calmly breathed in and out, holding his fingers close to his face, I smiled. _Finally he's catching on._ I rested my head against the tree. _Sleep,_ a cricket rested on a small piece of grass. "Hey Naruto!" Sasuke called out, Naruto fell down to the ground. "Ah, Sasuke, what are you doing?! I was trying to focus my chakura!" Naruto complained. "Well, uh, you know, the thing is..." Sasuke began, "The thing is what?" Naruto crossed his arms, _that's strange. He never talks to me, what's he up to? "_ You...you know, you asked (Y/N) for advice, so...what did they tell you?" Sasuke asked, looking over at me. I was starting to fall asleep. "I'm not telling you!" Naruto huffed, turning his head away. Sasuke glared down at him angrily.

"Hey, this is fantastic. It's been ages since we've had so many guests around our table." Tazuna chuckled, I happily ate my soup. Sasuke and Naruto were stuffing their faces like wild animals, I smiled. " **I want some more!** " They both shouted simultaneously, holding up their bowls. Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other, both of them starting to turn a bit green as they both ducked to the side, trying their best not to vomit. "Don't eat so much if you're just going to puke it up!" Sakura screamed, slamming her palms into the table, I couldn't help but laugh. Kakashi smiled over at me. "I have to eat." Sasuke grunted, wiping his mouth. "And I have to eat more than him! It's the only possible way I'll get strong enough to beat him!" Naruto said through gritted teeth. "That's true, but puking won't help you." Kakashi-sensei shook his head.

"Excuse me, this picture is torn. Is there some reason for that?" Sakura asked, I glanced up at it. _Oh, yeah, it is._ I rubbed my eyes. "Inari, you kept glancing at it all through dinner. It looks like there was some one else in the picture, but they got torn out. I mean, that's kind of strange, isn't it?" Sakura wondered, every one stayed silent. "Sakura, maybe you should come sit back down." I called out to her, she turned around to me. "No, it's alright. it's my husband." She called out, washing dishes. "They used to call him a hero in this land." Tazuna began, Inari jumped off of his seat. "Inari, where are you going?" His mother called out, turning around from the dishes, Inari left with out a single word. "Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that!" She said, following Inari.

"Inari's so, I mean, what happened to him?" Sakura asked, turning around to face Tazuna. "He wasn't his real father, he came into our family later, and brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close. In those days, Inari used to laugh all the time...but then..." Tazuna sniffled, clenching his fists. "All that ended." Tears formed at the corners of Tazuna's eyes, I looked down at the table. "He never laughs or smiles anymore, ever since that day everything changed." I shifted in my seat.

"The word courage was stolen from this island, we were left feeling powerless, hopeless, and Inari suffered the most ever since the day, ever since it happened."

 _"Pochi! Pochi, no!" Inari shouted, two other kids kept him back as he watched his bully hold his dog under his arm. "That's not his name. Starting today his name is Shooting Star, and he's my dog now!" The kid shouted, stomping his foot on the dock, the waves hit against it's wooden beams. "No, he's not! He's my dog and his names not 'Shooting Star'!" Inari mocked, moving his head towards the kid as he shouted. "I've had him since he was a puppy! He's my friend, and he doesn't belong to you!" Inari struggled to get out of the arms of the other kids, they grinned down at him as they watched. "Just shut up!" The kid shouted back, Pochi whimpered under his arm, the kid looked down at the dog with a sinister smile before throwing him off the dock and into the ocean. "Pochi!" Inari cried, watching as his dog struggled to keep it's head up out of the water. "See what happens when you don't listen to me? Now I'm not going to lift a finger to help him, okay? You can let him go." The kid crossed his arms, his friends did what he said. Inari stepped towards him, tears were threatening to spill. "Why would you do that, he's going to drown!" Inari cried, "Ha! If he's your dog, then jump in and get him. Be a hero and save your 'friend'." The kid smiled, Inari sniffled as he looked down at the wooden dock. "After all that big talk, you're not going to let him go under, are you?" The kid asked, Inari walked over to the edge of the dock, watching as Pochi struggled to swim, shaking. "Ha, he won't even help his precious little Pochi." The kid laughed, walking over to Inari, he was shaking in fear. "Hey, you made such a big deal out of him, go get him!" The kid laughed, kicking Inari into water. "AH!" Inari gasped for air, struggling to keep afloat. "I think you went to far, I mean, he could actually drown or something." One of the other kids said, walking towards him. "Help! Please!" Inari cried out, splashing wildly in the water. "Forget about it." The kid grunted back, watching Inari struggle. "I don't know-" "You say one more word and you're going in next, got it?" The kid threatened him, grabbing onto his shirt. "Pochi!" Inari called out, watching his dog swim past him. Interestingly enough, in that exact moment, Pochi figured out how to swim. Pochi got onto the shore quickly, and ran back into the town. "Hey, Shooting Star's running away, get him!" The kid pointed, the three of them chased after Pochi, Inari sunk down into the water._

 _Inari woke up, the sun beaming down on his face, he shifted slightly on the warm ground. "Waking up, huh? Finally." A voice called out, Inari sat up on the ground, looking at a man sitting by a fire, he smiled at Inari. "I had a little talk with those kids, they wont bother you again." The man turned around, Inari looked over at him surprised. "Here, eat." He said, picking up a stick with a grilled fish he had stuck in the fire. "Did you pull me out of the water, mister?" Inari asked, looking over at him with big eyes. "Have a bite to eat first, then we can talk all about it." He said, passing the fish over to Inari, he gratefully took it._

 _"Hm, I see. Your dog abandoned you too, huh?" The man sighed, Inari continued to munch on the fish. "In my country, dogs are very loyal, they stand by their masters. Then again, you abandoned the dog first, so what can you expect?" The man rubbed his chin, Inari stopped eating. "I really wanted to save him, but I just froze. I was just go scared...I guess that I just don't have any courage." Inari sniffled, tears fell down the sides of his face. "Hey, come on." The man smiled softly, patting Inari on the top of his head. "Don't be so hard on yourself, you're a kid. When I was your age, I was scared too." Inari looked up at him. "It's no big deal. But always remember this," The man called out, "Huh?" Inari asked, giving him his attention. "Live your life so you have nothing to regret. If you care about something, protect it, no matter how tough, or how sad, you've got to keep trying. Even if you have to put your life on the line, protect it with both arms, never give in."_

"His name was Kaiza. A simple fisherman who'd come here from another land to follow his dreams. After that, Inari and Kaiza were inseparable. The boy had never known his real father, so you can imagine what it meant to him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him, and followed in his footsteps, like a real father and son." Tazuna explained, I listened intently, I laid my arm down in my lap. "Kaiza spent more and more time with us, until he just naturally became a member of our family." Naruto had a small smile, he leaned on the table with his head in his arms. "And then when this town needed him, he became something more."

 _"Ugh! We've got trouble Kaiza! The flood gate's opening and the water's rising, if we don't stop it, the lower district will be flooded!" A man rushed into their house, soaked by the poring rain, he shouted the bad news over the loud thunder, Kaiza stood up from the table, Inari close behind. "What?" Kaiza gasped, "Father!" Inari tugged on the bottom of his sleeve, Kaiza turned around to him lightning fast. "Inari, get me some rope! Hurry!" "Right!" Inari shouted back, dashing out of the room._

 _"See where the gate is? We need to get a line out there to pull it closed!" A man explained, a crowd of people gathered by the opened gate. "A line? You have to swim out there to do that! It's impossible." Another person motioned towards the rapid waters, looking down at it with a shocked face, it continued to rise. "No one can make it through that current." "If we don't do it, the whole district will be wiped out! It's the only way-" "I'll do it." Kaiza stepped into the middle of the crowd, everyone's attention turned to him. "Kaiza, don't be foolish, you'll never make it!" The man shouted towards him, Inari looked up at with a worried face. "Father." Inari sniffled. "Don't worry. Nothing can stop your dad. This is our village, so we've got to do everything we can to help." Kaiza patted Inari on the top of his head._

 _The rope Inari fetched was tied securely to Kaiza's waist as he stood on the ledge on the cliff, the water continued to flow. Kaiza jumped into the water. People gathered around to hold the rope to the ground, they swarmed around to help, Inari watched with wide eyes as Kaiza continued to swim through the rough waters, he smiled. "Father! I know you can do it!" Inari shouted to him, Kaiza started to swim faster. Kaiza had successfully made it to the other side!_

 _"He made it! He tied the rope on!" "Alright, let's pull it closed!" Kaiza heard shouts from behind, everyone pitched in to pull the rope, the gate started to close._

"From that time on, Kaiza was considered a hero in this land. He taught us all the meaning of courage, and Inari was so proud to be his son. But it wasn't long after that Gato showed up and took over, he terrorized the whole village. Only Kaiza stood up to him. Gato couldn't have a local hero getting in his way. It took his whole gang to stop one man." Tazuna explained with a pained expression.

" _You overplayed your hand, Kaiza. All that talk about how you're going to protect the village with your two arms, those arms aren't worth much now, are they?" Gato grinned down at him, watching as his men continued to torture him. "Still, you've got that defiant look in your eye, well, my men will get rid of that." Gato laughed. "Get to work on him."_

 _A large crowd of people surrounded the gate, Kaiza was tied to a large wooden pool, his head was down. "Listen up! This man defied the Gato Corporation, he disturbed the order of this land." Gato looked over at him from the ground, Kaiza kept silent. "His punishment is_ _ **execution.**_ _" Gato looked at the horrified faces of the crowd. "Let this be an example so no one will dare stand in our way again." Gato shouted the the crowd, Inari was a crying mess as he leaned on the gate. "Father!" Inari shouted out to him. "Inari, don't." A man tried to call him back, Kaiza looked at Inari with a smile, tears streamed down Inari's cheeks. "Do it." Gato commanded, turning away from them. "DADDY!" Inari screamed, but there was nothing he could do._

"Since then, Inari has changed. So did Tsunami, and all all our people. We lost our will." Naruto furrowed his brow, glaring down at the table angrily. I looked over at him, biting the inside of my mouth. Naruto darted up, but he instantly fell down onto the ground, energy drained from his body. "Naruto..." I sighed, crossing my arms. "You better take the day off, no more training, you've used too much Chakra." Kakashi said calmly, watching as Naruto picked him self back up. "If you push any harder, it could kill you." "I'm going to prove it!" Naruto shouted. "Hm?" Tazuna raised his brow. "Prove what?" Sakura asked, Naruto's legs shook. "I'm going to prove that in this world, there are real heroes!" Naruto said to all of us with a large smile, I straightened my back up, looking over to him with a smile of my own.


	12. Battle on the Bridge, Zabuza Returns!

The sun started to rise, the chirping of birds was all that could be heard for miles around. A light breeze carried them through the sky, I was asleep on the cool grass, the wind rustled my hair slightly as slept, a collection of birds made it's way towards me. Naruto and I had been training all night, he was busy focusing his chakra control, I focused on strengthening my Daigan on the forest animals. Kale had been busy snacking on some of the field mice around the place, unaware of the girl picking herbs close by. She stood up, he long black hair moving behind her as she spotted Naruto and I asleep in the grass. Quietly she made her way towards us, he brown eyes darkening as she noticed our headbands. She stood above me, glaring down at my face, I rustled in the grass slightly. She reached her hand out to me.

"Good morning, everyone..." Sakura said with a yawn, rubbing her eye as she came out of her room. Sakura ambled towards the dinning room table, Sasuke was sitting there with his arms crossed, and angry expression on his face. Kakashi was looking down at the table, thinking. Sakura plopped down on the floor, scooting next to the table. "Here," Tazuna's daughter said with a smiled, giving Sakura a warm cup of tea. "Thank you!" Sakura nodded, she took a sip. "Naruto and (Y/N)...they're not here. Looks like they were out training again." Tazuna grunted, Sakura looked over at him. "They've gone completely crazy, Naruto's gone out climbing trees in the dark and (Y/N)'s playing around with the forest animals. They could be dead by now. You know, from using up too much of their chakra." Sakura said in a matter of fact tone, resting her hands on her hips. "Well, I certainly hope they're okay. Children spending the night in the woods alone." Tazuna's daughter said with a sigh, resting her hands in her lap. "There's nothing to worry about, even though the they're goofy, Naruto and (Y/N) are full-fledged ninja. They can handle themselves." Kakashi explained with a sigh. "Sakura's right, Naruto's such a loser. But (Y/N)..." Sasuke said in a worried tone, he got up from his seat and started to walk away. "Sasuke?" Sakura called out for him, he stopped in the front of the door. "I'm going for a walk." He answered back. "Uh, but we just started eating-huh..." Sakura turned to the table, looking over at Sasuke's empty plate. "Well, that was fast." She mumbled to herself. Sasuke left.

She knelt down to the ground, the birds flew away. She reached out her hand, strands of black hair fell onto her face, quickly she brushed them away. Slowly, my chest heaved up and down, my eyes closed shut. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here," She called out, her soft voice almost a whisper as she shook my shoulder. "Wake up..." "Gnnn..." I grumbled, my eyes slowly opened, a blur of pink was all I could see. I quickly rubbed my eyes as I sat up on the grass, she had a small smile. "Who the heck are you?" I grumbled, turning my head over to her, my cheeks flashed pink. "Oh, uh, I mean, hi there. Where did you come from? You know, what are you doing way out here?" I asked, stuttering my words as I looked at her. _S-She's gorgeous!_ I gulped nervously. "I'm gathering herbs." She said calmly, "Herbs?" I raised my brow. "Yes, that's right. They're for treating illnesses, and different wounds." Her black hair floated gracefully around her, the birds started to chirp. "Do you need any help?" I asked, she smiled. "Some help would be nice, but what about your friend over there?" She asked, motioning towards Naruto, he was knocked out on the grass, I jumped. "Ah, jeez..." I rubbed the back of my neck, remembering our training last night.

 _"Hey Naruto!" I called, he turned his head towards me, gasping for air. "What is it (Y/N)-wow!" He smiled looking over at the large stag I made pass out, it was lying in the grass. "How far are you coming along Naruto?" I asked, peering over his shoulder. "Almost at the top, that's awesome!" I smiled, looking up at his tree. "Naruto, I think you even passed Sasuke with this one!" I grinned, resting my hand on my hip. "You think so?" He jumped up onto his feet, wavering slightly. "Hey, you okay Naruto?" I looked over at him, he looked a bit sick. "Y-Yeah..." He muttered. "I think you've used up too much chakra Naruto, and to tell you the truth, I'm not feeling so great either." I gingerly touched my eye lid, they were starting to burn again. "B-But-gah..." Naruto fell back wards onto the grass, "H-Hey!" I stumbled, reaching out to him, but I failed, falling down on my butt._

I picked a small sprout of the ground and tossed it into the basket, it was starting to look full. Naruto was still passed out on the ground, even though the two of us tried to wake him up, he wouldn't budge. We just winded up moving him along with us as we searched. "You start work early, huh sis." I looked over to her, her face brightened up. "I like it early, it's calm. But I didn't think I'd find anyone sleeping out here in the woods." She was looking around in the grass, a smile on her face. "We're training." I nodded, looking over at Naruto. "So, you two are ninja? I noticed that headband you're wearing." She looked back over at me, I smiled at her, pink rose to her face. "Mhm. Me and my friend over there and ninja from the Village Hidden In the Leaves." I pointed at the head band with my thumb. "Oh, I see. That's very impressive." She nodded, my face heated up, I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "But does that mean you're training for something dangerous?" She asked, I looked down at the grass. "There's no need to worry, I'm just developing my skills so I can get stronger." I explained, she nodded as she continued to pick herbs from the grass. "You seem very strong now, isn't that enough?" She asked, I shook my head. "No, I need to get stronger, I have to keep practicing." I said with a determined look in my eyes. "How so? Why is it so important?" She asked, leaning closer to me. "So I can protect my friends, and my village! Also, there's this kid that we want to prove something too..." I motioned over to Naruto, he was snoring. "So you're doing it for your friends," She began, I tilted my head. "Is there someone..." Her voice turned into a whisper, a dark look in her eye as he turned her head over to Naruto. "Is there someone who's precious to you?" She asked, I rubbed the back of my neck. _When did she get so scary? "_ What are you saying, sis? What do you mean by 'precious', you don't mean..." My face turned red as I looked over at Naruto, I shook my head quickly. "N-No way!" I shouted, clenching my fist. "No, I mean-" She giggled, putting her hand over her mouth, my face was read. "I mean," She began, "when a person has something precious that they want to protect, they become genuinely strong. You want to protect your friends, I think that's very honorable." She nodded, I couldn't help but smile. "I know exactly what you're saying." I nodded, she nodded back.

After collecting a few more herbs, we filled up her basket together, she stood up, the basket in hand. "You will get strong, very strong." I smiled, standing up along with her. "Thank you for helping me, we'll meet again sometime." She said with a wave, I nodded. "I hope so." I nodded back. "Oh, by the way," She called out, I raised my brow. "I'm a boy." I jumped, _n-no way! He's prettier than any girl I've ever seen!_ I watched him leave in shock.

"Wow, I've seen a lot of weird things in my life, but that takes the cake." I whispered to my self, looking down at the ground. "OW!" I gasped, looking up at Sasuke, his hand was on my head. "What was that for?! Hey, cut it out!" I whined, shoving his hand off, he puffed out his cheeks. "You twerp. Did you just forget about breakfast?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms, I rubbed my head. "Hey, Sasuke!" I turned my head in surprise, Naruto was standing up looking over at the two of us with a big grin. "What is it, loser?" Sasuke asked, Naruto started to laugh. Sasuke's eye twitched.

"(Y/N), Naruto?!" Sakura shouted, looking around aimlessly, Kakashi was standing next to her. "Knowing them, they could be anywhere. And Sasuke hasn't come back either, I wonder where they all are." Sakura sighed, "WOOHOO!" I called out, both of them turned their heads towards me, I was cheering Naruto on. Naruto was hanging limply on the branch of a tree, "You rock Naruto!" I shouted at him, his face turned red. "High enough for you Kakashi-sensei? I mean, it's a really long way down from here." He shouted at him, Kakashi squinted his eye. Naruto jumped up on the branch, but he seemed to wobble on the branch. "Hey, don't fall-AH!" I shouted, watching as Naruto lost his footing, I was half way up the tree when I started to hear laughter. He was hanging upside down on the branch, I gritted my teeth. "Ha-ha! Just kidding!" He grinned, looking down at my, both of my fists were raised in the air. "I can't believe you fell for it!" He giggled, "I'm going to strangle you, you dork!" I shouted, running up the tree swinging my arms at my sides. _Pop._ I looked up to see Naruto falling, "I've got ya!" I shouted, feeling his side hit my chest, I held him in my arms, swinging on top of the branch he was on, "Why do I have a feeling this is going to end badly?" Kakashi said to himself, watching as I stumbled around on the branch, Kakashi's eye widened as I fell off the branch, just like Naruto, the two of us were screaming as we held onto each other, but to our surprise, nothing happened. "L-Losers..." Sasuke grunted, he was holding onto my arm, Naruto held onto mine. "Huh, Sasuke?" I looked up at him, he started to pull us up. "All right Sasuke, you're the best!" Sakura gushed, _if I'm still sane by the time they finish their training, it'll be a miracle,_ Kakashi thought to himself.

 _"Hm, you're recovering quickly,"_ "Huh?" I heard a voice call out at the back of my head, Sasuke had already gotten the two of us down on the ground, I started to shake. "You're arm, it looks a lot better," Kakashi-sensei called out, I looked down at my arm, a large hole had formed in the cast. My arm returned to it's normal color, "Yeah, you're right." I nodded, starting to tear the cast off. I clenched my fist, grinning down at my arm. _(Y/N) also got the healing powers of the Daigan, amazing._ Kakashi nodded.  
-

The moon was up in the sky, I was gasping for air. I left behind a trail of sleeping animals, "Let's go back." Sasuke called out, I looked up at the tree. Both Sasuke and Naruto had reached the top, I smiled up at them. "All right!" Naruto said with a grin, I rested my hands on my hips.

"Now they're all late, I wouldn't of expected that from Sasuke..." Sakura mumbled looking down at the table, I pushed open the door, Sakura turned around. Naruto was in the middle of Sasuke and I, we were carrying him by his arms. "What have you three been up to? You look like some thing the cat dragged in." Tazuna looked at the three of us, we were all covered in dirt and scratched up, I grinned. "We all made it. We climbed to the very top." Naruto grinned, Kakashi nodded his head. "Good. Now we move on. Starting tomorrow, the three of you are body guards for Tazuna." Kakashi-sensei waved, looking back at us. "All right!" Naruto laughed, leaning back, "Gah!" I gasped as he dragged the two of us down onto the floor. "You're such a loser." Sasuke grunted, everyone started to laugh.

I gobbled down my dinner, I hadn't eaten all day, I felt like I was starving. "In a few more days, the bridge will be finished." Tazuna called out, I looked over at him with a small smile. "I have to thank you for that." Tazuna nodded. "You've all done great, but you still have to be careful." Tazuna's daughter chimed in, picking dirty plates off of the table. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but I haven't had the chance until now. Why did you stay to protect me, even after you found out I lied to bring you here?" Tazuna asked, looking around the table at our faces. "'Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice can not survive.'" Kakashi spoke to us all, "Huh?" Tazuna's daughter looked over at him. "That was a quote from the first Hokage..." I mumbled, Kakashi looked over at me with a smile. Naruto was resting on the table, Inari looked over at him, shaking slightly. I looked over at him, tears started to well up in his eyes. "But why..." Inari whispered, Naruto turned his head over to him. "Hm? What did you say?" Naruto asked, Inari slammed his hands on the table as he stood up, tears rolled down his face. "All this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gato's got a whole army, they'll beat you down, and they'll destroy you!" Inari shouted, I looked down at the ground. "All these cool thing's you say, they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win, and the weak always loose!" Inari shouted to all of us, I clenched my fists. "Just speak for yourself, it won't be like that for me. You got that?" Naruto huffed, turning his head away from Inari. "Why don't you be quiet? Just looking at you makes me sick, you don't know anything about this country! You're just butting in! Always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!" Inari shouted at all of us, a ping went through my heart, I kept my head down. "Listen to yourself, whining and complaining like some sorry little victim. You can whimper all day for all I care, you're nothing but a coward!" Naruto shouted, Inari straightened up, I looked over at him with sorrowful eyes. "Naruto! You went too far!" Sakura shouted at him, Naruto shot up from the table. "Naruto?" I called out, he glanced at me before leaving the room, his hands in his pockets. Inari was shaking, tears streaming down his face.

Inari was sitting alone outside, staring down at the calm waters, I slowly walked up to him. "Can I talk to you?" I asked, he turned his head towards me, I plopped down on the ground next to him, he hugged his knees towards his chest. "Naruto can be a little harsh sometimes, but he doesn't hate you." I began, Inari kept his eyes on the water. "Your grandfather told us what happened to your father." Inari was unmoving. "You probably don't know this, but Naruto also grew up without a father. In fact, he never knew either of his parents, and neither do I." I said softly, "Huh?" Inari turned his head towards me, I had a small smile as I looked down at the water. "Still, I've never seen him cry, sulk, or give up. He's always eager to jump in. He wan't to be respected, that's his dream, and he'll put his life on the line for that in a heartbeat. My guess is he just got tired of crying and decided to do something about it." I explained to him, rubbing my hands together. "Oh..." Inari put his head back down. "Even though he's still learning, he know's what is means to be strong, like your father did. We know what you're going through." I smiled at Inari, "What Naruto told you earlier, as cruel as it sounded, he's probably told himself that a thousand times." Inari looked up at me, I patted him on the head.  
-

Seagulls were gliding around the ocean, squawking at each other as they passed by, the sun was up in the sky. I was excited. I had already taken off the bulky brace that weighed down my ankle, it was feeling a lot better, I could barely believe it healed so quickly. "Okay, I leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed his body to the limit, overdoing it as usual, so he may not be able to move today at all." Kakashi-sensei explained, I could hear Naruto snoring in side of the house. "What about you? You're still recovering yourself." Tazuna's daughter asked concerned. "Why? Do I look wobbly? I'll be okay." Kakashi waved, "Come on. Let's go." Tazuna called out, leading the way. The four of us followed close behind, _"Still wasting time licking your wounds? I hired you to do a job, y'know. Are you listening Zabuza-HEY!"_ "Who said that?" I asked, looking around worriedly. "Are you okay (Y/N)?" Kakashi asked, we were halfway on the bridge. I nodded my head, running towards him. "Yeah, I'm fine!" I shook it off, smiling.

"Gnnnah-" Naruto mumbled, opening his eyes. "Naah! Why didn't someone wake me up?!" He shouted, sitting up in his bed. Naruto jumped out, turning around the corner quickly, "Where is everybody?! Where'd they all go?!" Naruto shouted, Tazuna's daughter turned around with a smile. "Oh, Naruto. Your sensei wanted to let you rest, you got the day off." She said sweetly, Naruto growled. "I knew it! They ditched me!" He shouted, throwing his orange jumpsuit on. "See ya!" He shouted at Tazuna's daughter as he slammed the door.

"Ugh, they could have woken me up!" Naruto grunted, jumping from tree to tree as quickly as he could. "Hmm?" Naruto looked down at the forest ground, a dead hog was laying down, large gashes all along it's sides.

"Hold on, what the heck is this?" Tazuna shouted, I gasped as I looked at all of the builders laying on the ground, "What happened?!" Tazuna shouted, "Some one was here, some one had gotten to them!" Tazuna shook his head in disbelief, _Zabuza..._ I gritted my teeth.

"Inari, could you give me a hand here?" Tazuna's daughter shouted, "Inari?!" She called out, "I'll be right there!" Inari shouted back, running through the house. Two of Gato's men were standing outside, glaring in through the window.

Slowly, mist started to consume the bride. I quickly grabbed a kunai from my pocket, holding in front of me as I jumped back to protect Tazuna. "Sasuke, Sakura, get ready." Kakashi called out to them, the four us surrounded him. "Kakashi-sensei, it's Zabuza, isn't it?" Sakura asked, her legs starting to shake. "Sorry to have kept you waiting Kakashi, I see you've still got those little brats with you. That one's still trembling, pitiful." Zabuza called out, Sasuke grinned as his water clones surrounded us. "I'm trembling with excitement." Sasuke said with a grin, slashing his way through Zabuza's water clones with ease. "Ooh, you could see through the water clones, huh. The brat's improving. Look's like you've got a rival, Haku." Zabuza called out, the fake tracker from before was by his side. "So it seems." They called out, "Huh?" I whispered, _why does his voice sound so...familiar?_


	13. Haku's Secret Jutsu, Crystal Ice Mirrors

Naruto splashed his right foot into a puddle, not watching the ground as he continued to run. The warm summer air brushed past his face as he ran like a mad man. "Ah, I really hope I'm not too late!" He said through shallow breaths, sweat dripping down his forehead.

We were at a stand off. The mist circled around us, I clenched my fists angrily. Kakashi and Zabuza had their eyes locked on each other, the fake tracker, or Haku as Zabuza called him, had his face turned towards me. Sasuke had stepped back towards me, his shoulder brushed against mine as he glared over at Haku. "Well, well. So (Y/N) had it right, it was all an act." Kakashi said in a slight whisper, his hands in his pockets. "An act?" Sakura questioned, looking over at Kakashi with a confused face. "The mask." Kakashi answered back, "Huh?" Sakura looked over at him with awe, "So I guess all that about being a tracker ninja protecting his village was a bunch of bull." Tazuna grunted, staring them down. "They look pretty chummy to me." Kakashi added, I nodded. "Yeah, they're like best friends." I explained, recalling the dream. "He's got some nerve facing us again after pulling that trick." Sakura said angrily, her pink hair swaying in the breeze. "And hiding behind a mask. Who does he think he's fooling?" Kakashi looked at him oddly, "Ha, speak for your self sensei." I grinned, looking over at him, he sighed. "I'm taking him does he think he's fooling, hiding behind that mask like some kind of clown." Sasuke clenched his fists. "Sasuke, you're so cool~!" Sakura squealed, her cheeks turning pink, I rolled my eyes. _Wait a second, didn't I just say that? She'll never change..._ Kakashi shook his head.

"He's impressive." Haku whispered to Zabuza, "Hmph. Even though they were just one-tenth the strength of the original water clone jutsu, he destroyed them all. That move still gave us the first advantage, now use it." Zabuza huffed, looking down at Haku. "Right." He agreed with a nod. "And remember what we came to collect." Zabuza shifted his eyes towards me, I gritted my teeth. Haku jumped up on his right foot, kicking him self around as he span towards us, Sasuke jumped out in front of us. "What's he...doing?" I whispered to myself, tilting my head as I watched him spin faster and faster. Sasuke held the kunai up defensively, a smile came to his face.

They easily cut the wooden door down, she turned around lightning fast, her eyes widening as they stepped into her home. "So, you're Tazuna's daughter, huh? Too bad. You'll have to come with us, now. She screamed, dropping a plate on the floor as she jumped away from them. Inari came running down the hall, "Mother!" He shouted as he turned the corner, "No! Don't come out here!" She shrieked, Inari's eyes widened as he saw the men in the dinning room. "Run away! Hurry!" She trembled, sweat beading down her face. "Should we grab this one too?" He asked his friend, he turned his head around to him. "No. Gato asked for just one hostage" He turned his back to Inari, Inari was shaking with fear. _Hostage?!_ He thought. "Alright then." He grinned evilly, drawing his sword. Tears streamed down his face. "Wait!" She called out, shaking on the floor, he turned his head over to him. "Please don't hurt my son, I'm begging you." Tsunami sniffled, her knees got cut by the shards of the broken plate. "He's just a boy, please, I'll do anything, just please don't hurt him." She pleaded, he grinned down at her before turning to Inari. "Looks like your mom came through for you, kid. Lucky." Inari as shaking as he held onto the corner of the wall, he put his sword down. Inari slid down to the floor. "What a waste." He grunted, looking over at his partner. "Give it a rest, you already drew blood today. Let's get her out of here." He said, dragging her by her arm up to her feet. They tightly tied her hands together with a piece of rope as they led her out the door. "I'm sorry, mom..." Inari said between tears, they were already out side. "I'm sorry. What could I do, I'm too weak to protect you... I'm scared. I don't wanna die!" _Coward! Listen to yourself, whining and complaining like some sorry little victim. You can whimper all day for all I care! You're just a coward!_ Inari looked down at the ground, thinking back on that night. _My guess is he just got tired of crying and decided to do something about it. He knows what it means to be strong, like your father did._ He remembered our talk, he looked down at his hands. _If you really care about something, protect it, even if you have to put your life on the line! Protect it with both arms!_ Kaiza's words filled Inari's head, he wiped his tears away with his arm. _Inari..._ He saw his mothers face, he put his hands on his eyes. _Can I, can I be that strong, too?_ Inari stood up its his fists clenched, running towards the front door.

"We're going to treat you just fine, so don't worry your pretty little head." He grinned, touching his chin as he looked down at her. "Come on, keep walking." His partner grunted, pulling her along. "Stop!" Inari shouted at them, standing on the other side of the board walk. "Well, well, if it ain't the little tough guy." He chuckled, looking down at Inari. "Inari!" She called out, tears streaming down her face. "How cute, you've come to save your mommy." He rested his hand on his sword, looking down at his with bore eyes. "You'd better get away from my mom!" He shouted, dashing towards them. "Inari! No!" She screamed out, shaking her head. "This kids a little short on brains, don't you think?" He chuckled, "Get rid of him." His partner crossed his arms. "No! If you hurt him, I swear I'll-" "Shut up." He grunted, hitting her in the back of the head. She fell down onto the ground, she blacked out. "AHHH!" Inari screamed, running towards him. He sliced his sword down.

Haku had stopped Sasuke's kunai with a needle, they were at each other's necks, I watched them intently. _So, he can keep up with Haku's speed, huh._ Zabuza watched as Sasuke and Haku thought. _Hm?_ Kakashi watched. "Sakura, (Y/N), cover Tazuna and stay close to me. Let Sasuke handle this." Kakashi waved a hand at us, we both jumped back into manji formation. "We want (Y/N) and the bridge builder, not you. If you back own, I won't have to kill you." Haku told Sasuke, their blades met again. "Save it." Sasuke grunted back, a angry look in his eye. "You're making a mistake. You won't be able to match my speed, I've gained two key advantages." Haku shook his head, "Yeah? What are they?" Sasuke tightened his grip around the kunai. "First, we're surrounded by water." I looked down at the puddles Zabuza's water clones left behind. "Second, I've blocked one of your hands, therefore you only have one hand to defend yourself." Haku raised his open hand in front of his face, I watched in awe. _Hand signs with a single hand?! I've never seen that before!_ I gulped, watching with widened eyes. "Secret jutsu, a thousand needles of death." Haku called out, I gritted my teeth as I watched the water of the ground rise up like walls around them. _He doesn't want to kill the kid? Does he mean that? Hmm._ Zabuza kept his eyes on Kakashi. "Sasuke?" I called out, but I didn't get a reply. I watched in horror as the water around them turned into ice, formed into needles! _Remember your training. Summon my chakra at once._ Sasuke focused his chakra.

"A substitution jutsu?" He called out, looking down at the log he cut in half. "The woman, she's gone." He grunted, looking around the board walk. "Sorry I'm a little late." Naruto called out, resting Inari and his mother dorm on the board walk safely. "Huh? Who's that?" He grunted, turning around to look at Naruto. "You know, heroes usually show up at the last minute." Naruto grinned. "Naruto, it's you!" Inari said in shock, climbing out of his arms. "Who else?" Naruto smiled down at him. "Inari, you did great." Naruto nodded. "Huh?" Inari scampered up on his feet. "When you charged, they forgot about your mom for a minute, that gave me the chance to use a cool jutsu to get her away from them." Inari looked down at her with sad eyes, she was out cold. "Naruto, how did you know these guys were coming here?" Inari asked, looking up at him. "In the forest, I found a boar who had been attacked, and the trees were all cut up too, like someone had been practicing with a sword or something. The cuts led back toward the house, so I followed them here." Naruto explained with a a grin. "That was really smart." Inari agreed. "Blah, blah. It's one of those puny ninja brats Tazuna hired." He shook his head, looking down at Naruto angrily. "Get him already." His parter complained, "Right." He nodded, running towards them. "They're coming!" Inari jumped. Naruto flung two shuriken at them, they bounced off their swords. "Try something else, brat." He grunted, "I already did." Naruto smiled as he watched two of his shadow clones jump out behind them, punching them into the ground. "Ah, you did it!" Inari said in awe, looking up at him. "Yeah, believe it!" Naruto laughed. "Ha, that was so cool, like a real ninja!" Inari smiled, looking up at him. "You twerp, I am a real ninja!" Naruto smiled back at him, "That's what I've been telling you!" They both were laughing.

 _Summon my chakra at once. And direct it to my feet!_ The needles crashed down, Haku jumped out of the way just in time, my eyes widened as I saw Sasuke jump up into the sky in a small flash, Haku jumped back, sliding on the water as he dodged the shuriken's Sasuke flung at him. "You're not as fast as you think." Sasuke called out from behind Haku, I watched in awe, a large smile on my face. "From this point on, you'll be the one defending against my attacks." Sasuke warned, slicing his kunai down at his direction again, it met Haku's needle. "Hm?" Haku watched as Sasuke threw another kunai knife with his other hand, he crouched down to avoid it, but was met but a strong kick to the face. He slid across the floor, soaking his back in cold water. _It's not possible, no one's faster than Haku._ Zabuza gritted his teeth from behind his mask, looking over at Sasuke. "Thought you were quicker, huh? Now, what else are you wrong about?" Sasuke asked with a grin. "You made a big mistake insulting these ninja and calling them brats. That's just guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude. (Y/N) here's the best young fighter of the Hidden Leaf Village," I rubbed the back of my neck, a small blush on my face. "and Sakura's our sharpest mind. And last, but not least, our number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, Naruto Uzumaki."

"A-Achoo!" Naruto sneezed, rubbing snot on the sleeve on his orange jumper. "They say when you sneeze, it's cause somebody's talking about you somewhere." Inari explained, looking up at Naruto. "You don't believe that, do you?" Naruto looked over at him, Inari shrugged. "Hey, by the way, sorry about yesterday." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "Huh?" Inari looked up at him. "Calling you a coward was pretty mean, I guess. Anyway, it's not true, you know?" Naruto patted him on the top of the head, "Cause you are really brave." Naruto smiled, tears started to well up in Inari's eyes. "Darn it!" He sniffled, rubbing his eyes. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry any more. You're gonna make fun on me again, and call me a baby..." Naruto turned away from him. "What are you talking about? You're happy, what's wrong with that?" Naruto smiled, putting his hands behind his back, Inari looked up at him. "When you're happy, it's okay to cry, really, it is." Naruto nodded, Inari smiled up at his through tears. Naruto turned his back on Inari, his hands in his pockets. "Okay, I can leave you in charge of things now, right?" Naruto asked, looking up at the sky. "Yeah." Inari nodded. "Good! Then I'm going over to the bridge." Naruto started to run again. "It's not easy being a hero, believe it!" Naruto smiled, "Ha, believe it!" Inari shouted back.

"Hmph, Haku, if we keep going like this, we'll be the victims instead of them. Get on with it." Zabuza watch as Haku stood back up on his feet, "Right." He answered back. Chakra started to flow from Haku's body, it made the air heavy. "I'm sorry it's come to this..." Haku mumbled, _it's so...cold._ I shivered, watching Haku intently. "Huh?" I watched as ice started to form around Sasuke, "Secret jutsu, crystal ice mirrors!" They floated in the air around them, my eyes widened. I took a step forward. _What is that, how does it work?_ I watched as Haku jumped into one of the mirrors, his reflection was cast into every one of them. I clenched my fists, dashing towards the mirrors, "(Y/N)! Stop!" Kakashi called out, reaching his hand out to grab me, I ran past him, standing just behind the mirrors. "(Y/N)," Kakashi started to run towards the mirror, Zabuza stopped him from going any further. "If you enter this fight, you fight me. They have no chance against that jutsu, they're finished. "Now, we'll begin, and I'll show you what speed really means." Haku said menacingly, I watched in horror as I saw needles come streaming down from the sky, cutting into Sasuke's arm. "SASUKE!" I screamed, jumping through the mirrors, "No, (Y/N), sto-!" I threw Sasuke to the ground just before he got struck again. "Just try to help them, and I'll kill the other two in a heartbeat." Zabuza warned, staring Kakashi down. Needles rained down on us, I blocked them the best I could, scratches riddled Sasuke's arm's and legs.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay with you." Sakura said to Tazuna, he nodded his head. "I understand, go now." Tazuna grunted. Sakura grabbed a hold of Sasuke's kunai before running towards them. "Sakura?" Kakashi turned his head to see her, she jumped up high in the air. "Take this!" She shouted, throwing the kunai towards the ice mirrors, Sasuke reached out to grab it, but Haku caught it in his hand before he could. "He caught it!" Sakura gulped, I held onto Sasuke, I wasn't as nearly as bad off as he was, I was burning holes into Haku. Suddenly a shuriken came shooting out of the sky, cutting Haku on the face, he fell out side of the ice mirror and onto the ground. "Who is it?" Sakura asked in wonder. _Hmph, what a showoff. Number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja._ Sasuke shook his head, in a puff of smoke, Naruto appeared "Naruto Uzumaki is here, yeah, believe it!" Naruto grinned.


	14. The Number One Idiot Joins the Fight

"Ha! Now that I'm here, everything will be alright!" Naruto grinned, putting his hands on his hips. "You know how in stories, the hero usually shows up at the last minute and kicks butt? Well, that's what I'm going to do right now! Believe it!" Naruto shouted to us all, _ugh, this brat again?_ Zabuza rolled his eyes, "Shut up already..." I grumbled, _what and idiot, if he'd of stayed hidden, he could of been so much more effective._ I shook my head. A large scratch ran down the middle of Haku's mask, he looked back at Naruto. "All right, you're history! Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto grinned, making a quick hand sign. Zabuza turned around, throwing four shuriken at him in almost an instant, "Huh?!" Naruto froze staring the blades down, Haku threw his needles at the shuriken, saving Naruto. "What?" I looked up at Haku, he turned his face over to me. _Why would he save Naruto?_ I clenched my fists. "What are you doing Naruto? Are you crazy?!" Sakura screamed at him, he turned his head over to her. "This is a battle, not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your jutsu!" Kakashi sighed, "Uh?" Naruto tilted his head, looking very confused. "The shinobi's art is deception, always keep the enemy guessing. Even when executing a single jutsu, one must distract their opponents attention, catch them off balance and outmaneuver them. You just turned yourself into a human target when you enter a battle like that." Kakashi explained, Naruto looked shocked. "Gah, I'm sorry! I was just trying to rescue everybody!" Naruto cried out, I shook my head. "But there's another mystery here." I whispered, looking over at Haku. "Haku, what are you doing?" Zabuza asked him angrily, Haku kept his back towards him. "Zabuza, this boy, let me fight him my own way." "Bring it on!" Naruto shouted at him, raising his fists.

"So you want me to leave this to you. Is that it, Haku?" Zabuza asked, Haku kept quiet. "As usual, you're too soft." Haku looked down at the ground. "Forgive me." _Soft? He's right,_ I looked over at Sasuke. _He cut us up with his needles, but he didn't hit a single vital spot. Why?_ I kept my eyes on Haku, "I'm warning you! One way or another, I'm going to rip off that mask and take you apart!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Haku. _It's impossible, Naruto can't take this kid. I've got too-_ "Don't even think about it." Zabuza turned back to Kakashi, blocking him off from taking any other action. "You know the score, Kakashi. If you go after Haku, I go after the bridge builder." Kakashi clenched his fists. _He's got me. I can't protect Tazuna and help (Y/N) at the same time. Sakura's feisty, but she can't fight Zabuza alone._ "Relax Kakashi, sit back and enjoy the show." Zabuza said evilly, "Let's see how they do one on one."

"That mask and your bogus story, you were with Zabuza all along! You think you could get away with a stunt like that?!" Naruto shouted at him angrily, Haku put his head down. "I'm sorry." Haku genuinely apologized. "But as your sensei said, deceiving your opponent, catching them off guard, that is the art of the shinobi. Please don't take it personally." Haku bowed his head, Naruto had confusion written all over his face. _And while, you're jabbering, I'll catch you off guard._ Sasuke held a kunai in his hand as he glared at Haku, "No!" I whispered angrily, trying to take it out of his hand, Sasuke held onto my shoulder, surprised. Gritting his teeth, he flung the kunai towards Haku, I pushed Sasuke down to the ground, Haku dodged it with ease. "Huh?" Naruto jumped, looking down at the two of us, I was angrily whispering to Sasuke, he turned his head away from me. "I haven't forgotten about you two." Haku turned his head over to us, we both stopped arguing. _So that's where (Y/N) is, they're pinned down._ Naruto looked over at us. "Some warriors accept defeat gracefully, they know when they're beaten. Others do not. So be it." Haku was glaring daggers down at Sasuke, he walked closer to the two of us. "Let us continue our battle then," Haku grabbed a hold of my arm, he leaned closer to Sasuke. " **To death!** " Goosebumps rose on my arms, "No!" I shouted, tighten my grip around his arm. "No one hurts my friends and gets away with it!" I seethed, throwing a punch towards his face, he turned his body out of the way, jumping back into the mirrors. "Get back here!" Naruto shouted, stomping his foot on the ground, I took a step back from the mirror, _here he comes._ I gulped. _The real one's right there, now- "_ Behind you." I jumped, turning around to the mirror behind me lightning fast. _He transported himself in an instant, how?!_ His reflection appeared in all the mirrors, Sasuke stood up next to me, a kunai in his hand. Needles came flying down at us, "Gah!" I gasped falling down onto the ground, Sasuke flew down in the opposite direction. "(Y/N)!" Naruto shouted out, I clenched my fists. _They're getting all ripped up, and I can't even tell where the attacks are coming from! How's he doing that?_ Naruto watched the mirrors intently, _what kind of jutsu is this? Could it be that he has clones hiding in the mirrors and throwing needles at the same time?_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, thinking about something deeply, I turned my head over to him. _No, they're too fast for that. I can't even see where they're coming from! And if it was a clone jutsu, then he wouldn't need the ice mirrors. Those mirrors are defiantly the key to his attacks, but what's my next move?_ Sasuke was still, I clenched my fists angrily. _Naruto, (Y/N), think! You need to attack the outside and the inside of the mirrors at the same time, to figure out how they work!_ Kakashi clenched his fists. _I got it!_ Naruto thought, a smirk plastered on his face. _Yes, it's all about positioning! And Naruto and I are in the perfect position! If (Y/N) and I attack him from here, and Naruto hits him from the outside, we could do it._ I looked over to Sasuke, he looked over at me back. "Hey!" I heard a whisper come from my side, "I snuck in here to save you!" I turned my head to see Naruto crouched down to my height, "Gah!" I jumped back. "Pretty cool move, huh (Y/N)!" He grinned at me, pink rising to his cheeks. "Gnnnn!" I growled at him angrily. "Naruto, you sneak up on your enemy, not your ally." Kakashi sighed, " **You're a complete loser!** " Sasuke and I shouted at him at the same time. "You're a shinobi, think carefully before you move!" Sasuke shouted at him angrily, Naruto furrowed his brow. "What the heck's your problem?! You should thank me for coming in here to help you!" Naruto shouted back at him. "Naruto, if we're all inside her-gnnn, forget it! I've had it with your mistakes!" "And I've had it with your attitude, believe it!" Naruto seethed, Kakashi shook his head. _Naruto's building a solid reputation as the most clueless ninja in history. The more he helps, the worst things get._ I face palmed. "That's it! I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!" Sasuke shouted, standing up with his fists raised. "Fire style," "Hey! What attack are you using?!" Naruto asked, looking up at him from the ground. "These mirrors are made of ice, so how do you destroy ice? Figure it out!" Sasuke grunted, quickly making hand signs. "Fire ball jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, breathing fire all over the mirrors, "Huh?" I gulped, looking around. "That didn't do anything at all!" Naruto complained, standing up with his fists clenched. "You'll need much more heat than that to melt this ice." Haku looked down at us, I stood up with the two of them. In a big flash, Naruto and Sasuke stood back. "Huh?" I looked back at them, _not a single needle hit me..._ I gritted my teeth.

I looked back at Sasuke and Naruto on the ground, "Where is he?! Where's the needle attack coming from?!" Naruto shouted angrily, I slowly breathed in and out. _If I can find him, I might be able to use my Daigan to make him fall asleep, but with all these mirrors around, I might accidentally make myself fall asleep!_ I shook my head, _no, I've got to try. "_ We've got to find the real one!" Naruto jumped back up on his feet. "Look into every mirror as hard as you like, you will never learn the secret." Haku called out to us, his voice booming all around. "Oh, yeah? Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted back, I turned around with wide eyes. " **No, don't!** " Both me and Sasuke called out at the same time, he ignored us both. Hundreds of his clones came jumping out of a loud puff of smoke, "You've got a hundred mirrors, then a hundred of me will smash them all! Then I'll find where you really are!" Naruto shouted, his cloned jumped at the mirrors, in a small dark flash, Haku darted from mirror to mirror, slashing them all into pieces. "These mirror only reflect my image, allowing me to transport myself at light speed. Through my eyes, you appear to be moving in slow motion." I looked up at him, "I knew it, it's a bloodline trait. A kekkei genkai." Kakashi clenched his fists, Sakura turned around to him. "A kekkei genkai? What is it?" She asked, "It's like my sharingan, you can't learn it. It has to be in your blood, in your genetic code, passed down from generation to generation in a single clan." Kakashi explained. "Wait, does that mean-" "Yes, even I can't copy that jutsu. There's no way to destroy it, and no way to stop him.

"I couldn't break through," Naruto growled, "Huh?" Sasuke looked over at him, "So what? He's not going to stop me!" Naruto glared up at Haku. "I'm not giving up, and I'm not gonna loose here. Cause I have a dream, and no one's going to take it away from me! Some day, I'll be respected in my village, that's my dream, to be the greatest Hokage!" Naruto shouted, his voice bounced around the mirrors. "Dreams?" Haku looked up at the sky, "It was not my desire to be a shinobi, it's painful. I don't want to kill you. But if you advance, I'll have no choice. Then I will kill the kindness in my own heart and fully embrace the shinobi way. And there will be no mercy, no turning back. This bridge will be the battlefield where our dreams collide, now I must fight for my dream, just as you fight for yours. Please do not blame me. I fight for some one who is precious to me, I live for him, and I face death for him so that his dream may become reality. That is my dream. And for the sake of that dream, if I must, I will act as a shinobi and take your lives."


	15. Zero Visibility, The Sharingan Shatters

"Sasuke, (Y/N), Naruto! Take this guy out! You can do it!" Sakura shouted at the mirrors, putting her hands at the sides of her face. "Don't, Sakura. Don't push them." Kakashi said softly, keeping his eyes locked on Zabuza, his anger grew by the second, and yet he didn't show it. "Huh?" Sakura asked, turning her pink head over to Kakashi. "Even if they somehow found a way to overcome the mirror jutsu, they still couldn't defeat this ninja." Kakashi's voice was smooth and sharp, it could pierce through anything. "Huh? How can you be so sure?" Sakura gasp, staring at Kakashi intently. Zabuza started to crack up. "Those three have the desire to win, but not the instinct to kill." Kakashi squinted his eye at Zabuza. Sakura gulped, her pink hair swaying in the wind. "That boy is a whole other breed, he lives for pain, he thrives on it." Kakashi shook his head, Zabuza grinned from under his mask. "Exactly. Your village has become complacent, your trainees never learn the most important lesson of all, to kill the feelings in their own hearts. To crush an opponent mercilessly, to destroy with no emotion or regret." Sakura's legs started to shake, she clenched her fists. "B-But then, Sensei, what are we going to do?" She stuttered, looking up at Kakashi with a worried face. Kakashi looked up at the sky, I could make a break to save (Y/N), but he'd slay the bridge builder and Sakura. If I use shadow clones...nah, he'd just match them with his water clones, it'd be a waste of chakra. So I have no choice, Kakashi dug his fingers under the fabric of his head band, it's me and Zabuza, right here, right now. I'll have to do this the hard way. Sakura gulped as she watched Kakashi, Zabuza chuckled, sharingan. "You're no fun, Kakashi, using the same old trick." Zabuza swung a kunai around his finger, dashing towards Kakashi with it in his hand, aiming for Kakashi's eye. Sakura gasped, holding her hands over her eyes. Blood dripped down on the bridge, Zabuza's kunai lodged in Kakashi's right hand. "If it's just and old trick, why'd you try to stop me?" Kakashi was staring daggers at him, "Ha, let your opponent see your jutsu too many times, and he'll find a way to use it against you." Zabuza grinned, digging the kunai deeper into Kakashi's hand. "You should count yourself as lucky, you're the only man alive who's seen my sharingan twice. Show's over. There won't be a third time." Kakashi and Zabuza were at a stand off, Sakura was watching, frozen with fear, to the side. Tazuna clenched his fists, sweat beading down his forehead. "Even if you did defeat me, you'd have no chance against Haku." Zabuza squinted his eyes at Kakashi, Sakura turned her head over to the mirrors. I-Is that possible? That boy in the mask is stronger than Kakashi-sensei? "When I found him, he was just a street kid, but I trained him in the most advanced ninja techniques. I taught him everything I know, plus, he had special abilities he had refined on his own. The boy developed quickly, soon, he could face the most powerful enemy, outnumbered, in total darkness. It didn't matter. He would strike with perfect accuracy, he cared nothing for his own life or for the lives of others. He'd become a unique fighting machine, a shinobi. In the end, his power surpassed even mine. His blood line trait, his kekkei genkai, cannot be defeated by any one. I've created a tool that could destroy anything that stands in my way, unlike the useless punks who follow you around." Zabuza grunted, pulling his kunai out of Kakashi's hand.

"I didn't get to him! Then I'll try again, no matter how long it takes! Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted, "Naruto!" I shouted, watching hundreds more of his clones pop out, I watched intently as Haku jumped out of the mirrors, sticking needles into all of his clones. "Gah!" I gasped, raising my arms in front of my face, needles stuck into them. "How is he doing that?!" Naruto shouted, stomping his foot on the ground. It was barely there, but I saw it! I could see the trails and follow his movements! I stood up with my fists clenched, Sasuke was right behind me. "One more time! Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, flailing his arms towards the mirrors, Sasuke ran towards a puddle of water, and kicked it up in the air. "Don't you see that it's useless?" Haku sighed, I watched as a flash moved through the droplets of water Sasuke kicked up, my eyes widened. "Sasuke, you're a genius!" I smiled, Naruto fell onto the ground, heat rose to Sasuke's cheeks. "We can see his speed, but...that doesn't mean we could match it." I sighed, puffing out my cheeks. What if I try something else, not water but...yes, it's all my move. Sasuke nodded to him self, I watched him get back up on his feet.

"You think those genin punks together can beat Haku? He's the ultimate, a battle tool of destruction." Zabuza grinned, Kakashi sighed. "Are you finished bragging? You're starting to put me to sleep." Zabuza gritted his teeth. "Let's finish this, now." Kakashi pulled his head band up, revealing his sharingan eye. "Fine, but there's one more thing you should know." Zabuza called out with a grin, Kakashi rolled his eyes. "A little more bragging, as you say." Zabuza took another kunai out of his pocket. "Did you really think our last battle was just win or loose? That I took your attacks like some rank genin? Haku was there, hiding, watching every move you made. Studying your sharingan. Haku can see a jutsu once and immediately devise a lethal counterattack. It's one of his gifts. I've been waiting to see the look on your face when you've realized your sharingan has become worthless." Tazuna's eyes widened, "Huh?" He took a step back in surprise. "You once said the same jutsu won't work on me twice, well, now I'm telling you that. Ninja art, hidden mist jutsu." Zabuza vanished into the mist, Kakashi clenched his fists angrily, more of his blood dripped onto the bridge. This is it. Kakashi prepared himself. Sakura looked around in the mist, wide eyed. What's going on?! This mist is too thick! Tazuna though, clenching his fists. "Sakura, stay with Tazuna." Kakashi told her, keeping his eyes open. I have to be strong and believe in Sasuke, (Y/N), and Kakashi-sensei...and I guess Naruto. I have to do my job no matter what it takes! Sakura clenched her fists as she ran towards Tazuna, "Oh, Sakura." He waved as she came closer, she stood in front of him protectively, kunai in hand. "Follow my lead, Mr. Tazuna! And whatever happens, stay close!" She nodded her head, a big pink blurry mass was all he could see. "Alright, I'll stay right here." He nodded, trying his best to wipe the fog off of his glasses.

I know you need me Zabuza, I'll finish them off quickly. Haku looked down at Naruto's scratched up face. "Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted, jumping at the mirrors once again with his clones. He just won't give up. Haku shook his head, readying his needles once again. Sasuke and I nodded at each other. Haku jumped out of the mirror, simultaneously Sasuke and I threw out attacks at him. I chucked large bits of flaming rock at him, "Huh?" Haku quickly dodged, jumping into another mirror. Fireball and rock throw jutsu being used together? Haku clenched his needles tightly in his fists as he jumped out of the mirrors once again, destroying Naruto's shadow clones. It shouldn't be taking this long to defeat them! Quickly, I chucked another flaming rock up into the sky, it grazed the bottom of Haku's pants right before he jumped back into another mirror. Naruto fell to the ground, I caught him in my arms. Got him that time. I grinned, helping Naruto stand back up. I looked over to Sasuke, he was breathing heavily. We're starting to get the timing!

This hidden mist jutsu, the mist is too thick, even for Zabuza. How can he fight in it? "Hm?" Kakashi pulled a kunai out of his pouch, easily hitting the shuriken Zabuza flung out of his way. "Very skillful, as I'd expect from Kakashi, the Sharingan Warrior." Kakashi turned around lightning fast, Zabuza was standing behind him, his fingers forming quick hand signs. His eyes are closed! "But next time you see me will be the last time you see anything. Without your sharingan, you're nothing." Zabuza disappeared in the mist once again, "What?" Kakashi watched intently. "You want me to believe you could see through anything, even time. But your prediction was wrong, I'm still alive. So you're a fraud, Kakashi. You can't read the future, and you can't read me. The sharingan is just a cheep trick that makes you seem more powerful than you are. I know now that your sharingan has two separate elements, the piercing eye, which sees every detail, and the hypnotic eye, which mesmerized your opponent. Employing those abilities, you can execute multiple jutsu in quick succession to make it seem like you could see the future." Zabuza watched Kakashi intently, he stood still, dead still.

"First, with your piercing eye, you copy my movements instantly. This replication of movement makes me doubt my own thoughts. Once I was shaken, you infiltrated my mind, waiting for the slightest flutter to anticipate my actions seeking out any hints to my next move. You time it precisely, waiting for the right moment. The instant my mind becomes unfocused, you create a new illusion. With your hypnotic eye, you include me to make hand signs while you were making the same hand signs. So you seem to be copying me, when actually you're controlling my movements. Now that I know this, a very simple plan can defeat you. First, neutralize your piercing eye with zero visibility mist." Kakashi quickly jumped out of the way as another shuriken came beaming towards him from the mist. The mist is slowing my reaction time! "Next, neutralize your hypnotic eye by keeping my own eyes closed. You can't bore into my mind if you can't look into my eyes." Zabuza grinned. "Brilliant," Kakashi mocked, "but your eyes closed, you cant see me either." "Have you forgotten who I am Kakashi?" Zabuza's voice called out through the mist. "I'm the demon of the hidden mist, master of the silent kill. I can take you out by sound alone!"

They read my movements, but that's not possible! Haku glared down at me with a surprised look, "I was so close, but I couldn't quite get to him!" Naruto grunted, clenching his fists. "Naruto, can you do it again?" I asked him in a whisper, concern washed over my face. "Huh? Or course, nothing can stop me. Believe it!" A big goofy grin hung from his face, "You're amazing Naruto!" I smiled back, he doesn't want to show it, but he's exhausted. The shadow clone jutsu uses up so much chakra, but thanks to him, we've figured it out. We know how to break through. Naruto and I highfived, Sasuke rolled his eyes. The human eye cannot track my movements. It must have been a coincidence. Haku thought to him self, the mirrors shined. "Naruto, run for it!" I shouted, "Huh?" He looked over at me with wide eyes. "Get out of here and attack from the outside! Hurry!" I clenched my fist, "Alright, you got it!" Naruto nodded, starting to run towards the gap in between the mirrors. "You cannot escape." Haku warned him, Naruto continued to run, I clenched my fists. "You think you can keep me here? Forget it!" Naruto shouted, "That's it!" I cheered, Sasuke made a quick hand movement. I shot stoned up into the air, he lit them ablaze as the sped towards Haku, he dodged them easily, sending a needle towards Sasuke's direction. In a second, he was in front of Naruto, kicking his back. The needle stuck into Sasuke's shoulder, my eyes widened. He pulled it out with a pained grunt before standing back up on his feet, I turned my head over to Naruto. "I couldn't get past him..." Naruto said in between shallow breaths. "That was good, Naruto." Sasuke grunted, looking over at him. "Huh?" "One more time?" I smiled at him, "Yeah! Let's go it!" He nodded, I stared at Haku intently. There must be a limit to his chakra too, I can feel him slowing down. "AHHHH!" Naruto shouted as he dashed towards the mirrors, I followed him with a big smile, Sasuke on my side. No more games, I need to stop this now. Haku thought, jumping out of the mirrors. "This time you'll stay down!" "Gah!" I gasped, a needle dug straight into my leg, the three of us were down in a matter of seconds, needles were poking out of me everywhere.

An enemy you can't see and can't hear, it's been a long time since I faced any one this tough. And (Y/N), I don't know if they can hold out much longer. Kakashi slowly breathed in and out. Stay calm, think. Where will he strike? The bridge builder! Zabuza appeared behind Tazuna and Sakura in a second, they bother turned their heads around, Kakashi stood in between them as Zabuza slashed his sword down. "Too late." He grunted. "AHHHH!" Sakura screamed, her voice echoed around the bridge, her legs trembling violently as she saw...


	16. The Broken Seal

_That scream, that was Sakura! What's happening to her? Where's Kakashi? We have to get out of here_! I clenched my fists. "Sakura...she's in trouble..." I whispered, slowly starting to climb up, Sasuke put his hand on my shoulder. "I'll bust us out of here!" Naruto grinned, looking over to me with bright blue eyes. _Naruto?_ I smiled at him. "I'll fake him out!" Naruto grunted as he stood up, wavering around. "You've exhausted my patience." Haku called out as he watched Naruto run towards the same opening again, Haku followed, but in a second Naruto turned on his heel and started to run out the other direction. Haku followed him intently. "Naruto! Behind you!" I screamed, needled flew in his direction, he hit the ground, hard. "Naruto!" I gasped, running towards him. "Your chance of escaping my house of mirrors is zero, that is absolute." Haku warned us, I knelt down on the ground, gingerly toughing the side of my face with my hand, Sasuke was close by. "Naruto, are you able to get up?" I asked him, he groaned as he struggled to lift his head, I held onto him. "Try not to use any more chakra, loser." Sasuke huffed, crossing his arms. "Sasukes right, that's only going to help him now." I smiled down at him. "I know (Y/N)...I know." He said softly. _We can't go on like this, he's blocking every move we make. I've got to find a way to outmaneuver him._ Sasuke stood up, his fists clenched, I watched him with pain struck eyes. Naruto held onto my hand lightly. _My eyes have adjusted to his movements._ "Looking for a counterattack? I'll save you the trouble." Haku threw more needles towards out direction, Sasuke quickly tore one out of his arm and used it to block the incoming needles, his knee fell to the ground. "Get up, loser. We've got to team up!" Sasuke looked down at Naruto, he tried his best to pick himself up. _I'm aiming at his vital spots now, but I can't get a direct hit._ Haku gripped onto his needles tightly, Naruto sat up. "I know what we have to do. Believe it, Sasuke." Naruto grunted, my eyes widened as I saw the mirrors flash again, Sasuke was still on the ground gasping for air. I picked a needle up from the ground, the same way he did. I hit them away as quickly as I could, keeping my eyes locked on Haku. _It's not just luck, they're fighting to protect their friends. That's why they're so determined. But they can't possibly see the needles coming._ I pushed Naruto out of the way of some incoming needles, toppling over him. "(Y/N), are you okay?" He asked me, shaking my shoulder. "Y-Yeah!" I gasped for air, clenching my fists. Sasuke stood up, picking up what I had started to do, my chest shook as I tried to get up. _My movements are beyond human speed, and yet they're tracking them down some how. What ever they're doing, I've got to stop them now. "_ H-He disappeared! Where'd he go? How did he just vanish?!" Sasuke looked around wildly, "Naruto, you better not pass out again!" Sasuke warned, I was staggering around on my feet, I looked over at him on the ground. "Come on, let's go! I can't keep protecting you like this." I looked around at the mirrors confused. "Well, then, don't! I never asked for your help...ugh..." Naruto fell back down on the ground, I turned around lightning fast, my fists clenched. "You can't revive him, he's reached his limits." Haku called from above, I looked up at him with furious eyes. I threw a needle at him angrily. "Impressive. You two have excellent moves, your attacks are very skillful." I followed him from mirror to mirror, needles appeared in his hand again, he threw them at us quickly, I jumped out of the way. "But you've reached your limits as well." I gasped, looking from mirror to mirror. "Motor functions, reflexes, judgement, your abilities are weakening slowly, but surely. Now you're finished!" _Here he comes! Stay calm, focus. Concentrate, see everything..._ Sasuke's eyes widened, he quickly picked up Naruto, jumping out of the way before a shower of needles could get to him. _He saw every move, but there's no way he could do that._ I looked over at Sasuke, my eyes widening in shock. _Impossible! Those eyes, the sharingan!_ Haku watched him intently, a large smile came to my face. _It's not complete, but I could see through his deceptions._ Sasuke clenched his fists, I stood next to him, my eyes burning as I looked at Haku. _So, he too has a kekkei genkai, the power of a unique blood trait passed down with in a clan. Interesting, even though it's not perfected. To uncover this power in the midst of a lethal attack, is an amazing feat. And because of that, I won't be able to fight much longer. My jutsu uses a tremendous amount of chakra, and his swift movements also take energy. There's no doubt that the longer we fight, the more he will be able to use the sharingan to perceive my moves. Even now, his eyes are tacking me. I can't target him directly, he'll just block a frontal attack. So, I'll have to throw him off guard by attacking his partner. Then I'll destroy him!_ Haku clanked his needles together, I steadied myself, waiting for him to come and attack us...but he turned towards, towards Naruto! In a flash, Sasuke ran past me, I watched wide eyed as I tried to chase after him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura gaped, holding her hands over her mouth. Kakashi held onto his chest, blood stained his clothes a dark red hue. "You were late, Kakashi. You let your concern for those little punks' safety cloud your mind, adding further to the fog that already hinders your sharingan." Zabuza opened his eyes, glaring down at Kakashi with disgust. "Your eyes are sharp, Kakashi, but not sharp enough to read my moves. Not anymore." Zabuza chuckled, holding onto his sword loosely. "Come on, Kakashi. I want this to be fun. I want to enjoy myself as I exact my revenge. As for those brats, don't worry. They're at Haku's mercy. No, they're breathing their last breaths right now!" Kakashi kept his eyes pinned on Zabuza, holding onto the large gash in his chest securely. "Relax, you'll have plenty of time to weep out an apology for failing those brats when you see them in the next life!" Zabuza laughed, fading into the mist, Sakura was looking around worriedly. "H-He said Sasuke...will die." Sakura stuttered, she clenched her fists before shaking her head side to side. "No! I won't believe that. I have faith in him." _Sasuke will beat you to a pulp, cha! "_ And that masked kid..." _we'll make him wish that he was never born!_ "I can't loose Sasuke..." _anyone who tries to take him away from us will pay for it!_ "And (Y/N) or Naruto either!" "Exactly." Kakashi called out, "Huh?" Sakura turned towards him. "I...I believe in their abilities. I have faith in them." Kakashi nodded. "Naruto, the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, (Y/N), heir to the most powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf-" "They advance quickly, but so does Haku, no one can match him." Zabuza grabbed onto the hilt of his sword, "No one has ever stopped his secret jutsu, even the most powerful Jounin fall before him. Just as you will fall before me, right now!" Zabuza grunted angrily, "Sakura, stay with Tazuna." Kakashi warned, "Okay, you go it." She nodded, watching as Kakashi ran off into the mist. _He's right, it's time to end this. But he is the one who will fail!_

Naruto groaned as he woke up, slowly he turned his head around, Sasuke was standing over him, I shook silently. Haku way laying on the ground. "Y-You always get in the way, N-Naruto. It never fails." Sasuke breathed out, Naruto smiled up at him. "Ah! You beat him, Sasuke-huh?" Naruto was frozen still, tears dripped off of my face. A small splatter of blood formed by Sasuke's feet, it dripped down his chin. "Y-You should see the look on your face...you-you look like a total l-loser." Sasuke slowly wavered on his feet, Naruto sat up. "W-Why...why did you save me? Why did you do it?!" Naruto sniffled, looking up at him. "I-I don't know why...I just did..." Sasuke coughed, but a small smile still formed on his face. "You...I hated you." Naruto stood up, stomping his foot on the ground. "Then why? It doesn't make any sense! Why did you...protect me?!" Naruto clenched his fists. "I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask for you to save me!" He shouted at Sasuke, "I-I don't know. My body just moved...there wasn't time to think...loser." Sasuke grunted, falling down on his back. "Sasuke!" I shouted, diving on the ground to catch him in my arms. "He...he's still out there...my brother..." Sasuke's voice was a hushed whisper, I held him close to my chest. "I promised myself...I'd stay alive until I killed him...(Y/N), don't let your dream die." Sasuke's eyes closed as he relaxed in my arms, tears continued to stream down my face, my eyes burning furiously. I hugged him close to my chest, silently shaking as his blood stained my clothes. _He found, he found the strength he didn't realize he had because of a certain person who was precious to him. To save that person, he rushed in knowing it was a trap._ "He was a true ninja, worthy of honor. Was this the first time you have seen a friend die in battle? This is part of what it means to be a ninja." Haku sunk back into his mirror. "Shut up." I sniffled out, "S-Sasuke, you were such a creep, and yet...you'll pay for this!" I gently dropped Sasuke on the ground, Naruto looked at me worriedly. I started to shake violently, my tears tuning to blood as I clenched my fists, snapping my knuckles. " **I'm going to kill you!** " I screamed, bits of the ground shot up in the air around my as I screamed, glaring daggers at Haku. _What is this chakra?! Chakra cannot be seen, and yet it's clearly visible! It's something ghastly. I can feel the wrath, the blood lust, like evil it's self._ Haku shuddered, _their wounds, it's healing, and...their_ _ **eyes!**_ Bits of my skin peeled off and floated down onto the floor, the burning in my face was indescribably painful, I gritted my teeth glaring at him. _This kid, what are they?!_ "Huh?" Haku froze, our eyes met, burning into his head. "(Y/N)?" Naruto shook, looking at me from the ground, I ignored him.

"Huh?" Kakashi jumped, looking around him in the mist. _Is Zabuza creating this? He's not, I know this chakra...there's no way..._ "What is this energy? It's something...foul. Kakashi? No...it's too powerful, even for him. Where is it coming from?" Zabuza grunted, clenching his fist as he looked around in the mist. _(Y/N)...this puts everyone in danger. Now of all times...the Daigan is too powerful for them to wield, their turning into...Ichiro...I have to stop it!_

The anger bubbling up inside of me was too strong to hold, my shoulders cracked as they bent in an unusual way, I couldn't stop the shaking. I screamed as I started running towards the mirror, ignoring the burning in my face as I ran, the only thing I was set on was **revenge.**


	17. White Past, Hidden Ambition

_The blood lust in their eyes, this is no longer a child._ "AHHH!" I screamed, dashing towards the mirror, Haku flung more needles at me, I flung them away with my arm. He quickly hopped to the mirror behind me. _Their chakra grows stronger by the second, I must strike now!_ Haku's reflection appeared in all the mirrors around me, needles rained down on me, sinking into my flesh. I shook my head, repelling them from my body, they flung towards the mirror. "Gah!" Haku dodged it quickly, I dashed towards the mirror he was in, smashing it with my fist. _Now!_ Haku jumped up in the air, throwing his elbow down at me, I quickly rolled away, he smashed into the earth. "Impossible!" He gasped, jumping back, trying to into one of his mirrors, I quickly grabbed a hold of his arm, holding him down to the ground.

 _Could it be that (Y/N) has learnt...no they've just begun. A tiny slither of their power has been awoken, there's much more for them to learn._ Kakashi swiftly pulled a small scroll out of his pocket, and tossed it up into the air. _Good. Then maybe we still have a chance._ He pricked his thumb of the side of his jacket, catching the open scroll and sliding his blood down it's side. _Just maybe._ "Zabuza, I don't mean to spoil your fun, I know you like to stretch these things out. But how about we put an end to this now?" Kakashi asked, throwing the scroll back up into the sky. It sealed neatly, he caught in between to fingers, and did a quick hand sign. "Come on, what do you say? We're both busy people." Kakashi stared blankly into the mist. "Hm, tempting. I'm curious to see how you intend to back up such brave words, show me, Kakashi!" Zabuza shouted though the mist.

The mirrors shattered around us, Haku held a hand sign up to his face. _I can't, their energy is too strong!_ I gritted my teeth, growling as I formed the tightest fist I've ever made, "AHH!" I shouted, letting it fly, I hit Haku right in the middle of his face. He went flying through the broken glass, rolling around on the ground. "Gah!" Naruto gasped, holding onto his head as he tried his best to dodge shards of glass that came raining down at him. Slowly Haku started to get up, his mask breaking. As he got up on his feet, I dashed towards him, the pain in my face not subsiding as I ran towards him. _Zabuza..._ shards of his mask fell off of his face, _I am no match for this kid..._ I jumped up in the air, flinging my body towards him, _master..._ I formed another fist, _I have failed._

My fist hovered in the air, inches away from hitting his face, I was frozen solid, gritting my teeth as I looked at his face. The burning in my face fled back into my eyes, I stared at him. "T-That guy in the woods...that was you." My eyes widened. "Why do you not strike?" Haku asked, "Huh?" I looked up at him. "Did you not just vow to avenge your comrade's death by killing me? Or was that vow just empty words." "Gnnnn...!" I punched him in the face once again, he fell to the floor, blood splattered on the ground. "Now, that won't do. You're still holding back. If that is all the strength you can put into it, you will never keep your vow." Haku wiped the blood from his chin as he looked back over at me, "Perhaps he didn't mean as much to you as you pretend." I shook my head, _is their any one who's important to you? "_ There is only one person who matters to me, and I live to protect and serve him. That is my purpose, to show mercy to those who oppose the one you serve, to allow his enemy's to live when you could strike them down. This is not compassion. It is a betrayal of your lives very purpose, for what reason do you exist then? You're of use to no one. Your life has no meaning. It is mere existence. Day after day of pain and struggle, signifying nothing." Haku's words were piercing, I quickly wiped tears away from my eyes. "Y-Yeah, w-well speak for your self!" I blurted out, a sniffling mess. "Are you that blind, little one? I am speaking of myself." Haku smiled at me, "This day has shown that I am no longer of any use to Zabuza." Haku looked down at the ground. "Zabuza? Why that guy anyway? To devote your life to a rotten skunk who doesn't know the meaning of the word honor. If he's really the one person who matters to you, man, that's the sorriest thing I've ever heard." I shook my head, closing my burning eyes tightly. "There were once others who mattered to me long ago. My father and my mother..."

"I was born in The Land Of Water, in a small village where the snow lies deep in the winter. My parents were farmers and very poor, our life was hard, but we were content. My parents were good to each other and kind to me. Yes, we were happy once. But then everything changed." Haku's voice was soft, I watched him intently, my eyes starting too cool down. "Because of something that happened long before I was born, everything changed." I relaxed my hands. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice a hushed whisper. "It wasn't my doing," Haku wiped red off of his face, he looked down at his hand. "It is in my blood." He said, looking down at his smeared hand. "Blood? You said something happened that changed everything..." "It was my father who had changed. He killed my mother, and almost killed me." My eyes widened as I looked over at him, his eyes a dull brown.

"After years of suffering the horrors of civil war, the people of my land had come to fear and hate anyone who carried the kekkei genkai in their blood. Because of their unique abilities, the clans were used as mercenaries. They fought in many battles, and were much feared. But when the war was over, they were despised and shunned by the people who feared their presence would bring more war and misfortune. So it was that after the wars, these clans went into hiding, denying the blood line trait that flowed in their veins, concealing their unique abilities, knowing that to be discovered meant certain death. A kekkei genkai runs through your veins as well, you must understand where I'm coming from." Haku looked at me with sad eyes, "The cruelty of people, their fear of things they don't understand." I clenched my fists, Naruto was started to run his way over to us. "For years, my mother was successful in hiding her bloodline trait. She met and fell in love with a simple farmer, and they were married. And after that, my mother thought she would lead a peaceful, ordinary life to the end of her days. My father had seen, and so he knew our secret, my mothers and mine. When at last I was myself again, I was no longer myself. My father and mother were gone, but I knew that something else had been taken away from me, something even more important. And that is when I truly despaired." Haku's eyes were on the ground. "More important than your mother and father?" I voiced, I shivered in the cold mist. "My purpose. In all the world, there was no one who needed me. I was unnecessary." I felt a ping go through my heart. "It is only though the eyes of others that our little lives have any significance. When there is no one who sees you, or will even look at you, it's as if you don't exist." A shadow moved over my eyes. "Then Zabuza came along and looked at me, and his eyes were not full of hate or fear. He did not shun me for my strangeness, indeed, my special powers were just what he wanted. He made me necessary again. I have failed you Zabuza. I am like a weapon that has been broken and is of no further use." Haku walked over to me, I took a step back, still a bit shaken. "(Y/N)," He called out, I looked into his eyes. "Kill me."

"Ninja art summoning, earth style, fanged pursuit jutsu!" Kakashi slammed the scroll into the ground, the earth beneath him shook slightly. "I don't know why you bother. Of what use is your jutsu if you can't even find me? But I can find you." Zabuza grunted, keeping his eyes closed as he made a quick hand sign. " Blindly falling into my trap, you disappoint me, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice cut through the mist. "I think you're right, it is time to put an end to this-huh?" Zabuza listened to a loud rustling coming from below, he opened his eyes to see a large dog jumping out of the ground towards him. Zabuza quickly jumped out of the way, but another dog came shooting out of the ground, sinking it's teeth into Zabuza's leg. "Gah!" He shouted, watching as more and more dogs came jumping out at him.

"That dreadful noise, what could it be?" Tazuna grunted, looking around blindly in the mist. "I don't know, and I'm not sure that I want to find out!" Sakura gasped, holding the kunai tightly. Kakashi slowly picked himself up, "I realized that if I couldn't see you, I'd have to smell you out instead. That was a summoning jutsu, I called fourth my ninja hounds. They can track a scent anywhere." Kakashi ambled his way over to Zabuza, his hands in his pockets. "When you attacked me, I let you get past my guard. I wanted you to cut me. You see, it's the smell of my blood on your blade that led them to you, surprised? Looks like I wasn't the only one who was blind. Hm, falling into my trap, you disappoint me, Zabuza." Kakashi mocked him, "Ah, the mist is finally clearing. And you know what I see? Your death." Kakashi looked at him with dull eyes. "Talk, talk. Do you mean to talk me to death?!" Zabuza grunted, trying his best to break free. "In a way, yes. Right now, my hounds are just playing with you. But one word from me, and they'll tear you apart. Poor Zabuza, see where your ambitions got you? You were always pushing things too far." Kakashi shook his head. "It was the failed Mizukage assassination and your attempted coup d'etat. You were forced to flee with the few followers you had, your country's tracker ninja hot on your heels. You became a rouge ninja who's name was quickly known, even in the village hidden in the leaves. Now, you're crazy enough to want to go back and try it again. But for that, you need money, and to get it you stooped so low as to be a hired thug for a swine like Gato. All right, Zabuza, enough talk. Time to finish it. But it won't be with my sharingan, imitations of some other ninja's tricks. No, it's time I introduced you to my own jutsu." Kakashi made some swift hand signs, holding his palm up in the air, electricity sparked around him. " _Chidori!_ " Kakashi shouted out, Zabuza's eyes widened. _His chakra's so strong, it's visible! He holds it in his hands! "_ I will never let you touch (Y/N) again. You're like a disease, by infecting one, you infect all. And you don't care." Kakashi grunted, holding the lightning in his hand, it slowly started to burn into his skin. "You're right, I don't care! These useless little people and their petty little dreams, why should that matter to me? I have a dream of my own." Zabuza grunted, staring in Kakashi's eyes. "But to have a dream, you need to have a future." Kakashi stared at him back, "You don't. Your future's all used up, Zabuza."

I started to shake, tears starting to well up in my eyes. "Go on. Strike, kill me. Why do you hesitate?" Haku was staring down at me, I turned my face away. "N-No!" I clenched my fists, taking a step back from him. "That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard! I mean, he treats you like dirt! You're a human being, not some kind of tool. How can you care about some one like that?!" I cried out, a sniffling mess. "For that very reason." "Huh?" I took another step back. "Does that seem strange to you?" Haku asked, his eyes on the ground. "Y-Yeah!" I stuttered, wiping tears out of my eyes. "When he found me, I was without a purpose or reason for living. Zabuza gave me both. But now, my usefulness is over. The only thing that gave my life meaning, it's gone. I am a broken tool, a blunted weapon of use to no one." Tears slid down his face. "Go on, (Y/N), do it. For both of our sake's. Do it...quickly."


	18. The Weapons Known as Shinobi

Inari's feet padded softly against the concrete, his hands balled up into fists as he ran. _Naruto and the others are fighting, risking their lives, while the rest of us do nothing! We've got to fight too!_ Inari ran up the front steps of a small looking house, banging his hand on the rough wooden door. "Uncle Giichi, uncle Giichi, hurry! Come to the bridge with me!" The house filled with silence. "We don't have to hide any longer! If we all fight together, we can finally take Gato down! I know we can!" Inari reached for the door handle, but before he could get to it, it was locked from the inside. "No, Inari, I've given up on fighting. Fighting is for heroes, like your father, and you see what good it did him? Isn't one dead hero enough?" Giichi answered though the door, his voice a tough whisper, Inari put it head down. "What will more frighting bring us but more fallen heroes and more regrets? No, Inari, my heart is already full of regrets to last a lifetime." Giichi put his head down, his hand resting on the door handle. Inari clenched his fists. "Well, I don't want to live a life of regrets, either. And that's why we've got to fight! I know you care about everyone in this village, and so do I. You, mother, and grandfather and everyone! That's why we have to fight!" Inari shouted at the door, Giichi kept quiet. "All my life I've been a coward, but now I know that crying and hiding from things that we're afraid of doesn't make them go away." Inari shook his head, running back down the steps. Giichi's back was against the door, a pained expression on his face. "Hurry! Come to the bridge!" Inari shouted at him from a distance. "Our little Inari has become a man." Giichi's wife said with a pain struck face, her eyes focused on her knitting. "And you, dear, are you sure you want to send him off all on his own?" She asked him, Giichi's head was down.

"Is anyone there?! Hello! Come to the bridge with me and fight!" Inari's shouts echoed through the village, _what do I do now? Now one of them will even open their door to listen._ Inari clenched his fists, looking down at the ground. _Well, then, if no one will help..._ Inari shook his head, running as fast as he could towards the bridge.

"Go on, finish it..." His voice was a hushed whisper, I took another step back. "Why do you hesitate?" Haku looked up at me. "I thought you wanted to be a mighty warrior-" "That's not what it's about!" I shook my head, tears splattering on the bridge. "Do you really believe that all there is to it is fighting and killing?! There's a lot more to being shinobi than that!" I shouted, stomping my foot into the ground. "I had a feeling all along, from the first moment we met in the woods. We are a lot alike." His eyes seemed to melt into mine. "I'm sure you know what I mean. I'm only sorry that it must be your hand that is tainted with my unworthy blood." Haku sighed, I wiped my tears away. "In another time, I think we could have been good friends." I sniffled, pulling a kunai out of my pocket. "For Sasuke..." I whispered to myself, charging at Haku with the kunai in my hand, my eyes staring at him in a burning inferno. _Yes, that's it. Hold fast to your dreams._ I gritted my teeth, Haku closed his eyes. _Thank you, (Y/N). Strike true._

"At last, I think this blasted fog is starting to clear." Tazuna grumbled, starting to see more of his bridge again. "Look, they're standing still, like they're squaring off." Sakura whispered, Tazuna turned his head around. "Yeah? I can't see a thing." Tazuna sighed, crossing his arms as he tried to looking in the direction Sakura was. "Which one of them's Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura squinted her eyes. "One's moving!" She gasped, Kakashi ran towards Zabuza.

"Huh?" Haku's eyes widened. I swung my hand down, closing my eyes as I sliced, but to my surprise nothing happened. Slowly, I opened my eyes back up, Haku was holding onto my arm tightly. "Huh?" I mouthed, he was smiling at me. "Sorry, (Y/N), change of plan. I gritted my teeth, struggling to get out of his grasp. _H-He! "_ I'm not quite ready to die yet." He said softly, letting go of my arm. He held his fingers to his lips, disappearing in a small puff of cold air, I turned my head towards Sasuke. Naruto was crouched down next to him.

Lightning chirped around Kakashi as he ran towards Zabuza, Zabuza struggled all his might to get out of the dog's jaw's. _Is this the end?_ Zabuza gritted his teeth, staring the lightning down. Kakashi pulled his arm back, positioning himself as he thrusted his hand out. Blood sprayed out between them. "Gah!" Sakura shouted as a large gust of wind slammed through the bridge. "What the devil?" Tazuna grunted, holding his hands in front of his face. Sakura gasped as she looked back at Kakashi. A puddle of blood gathered around his feet, one by one his ninja hounds disappeared. Needles were stuck inside of the scroll, Zabuza was frozen solid, his eye twitching. Kakashi's hand was inside of Haku's chest, electricity shocked his whole body as drips of blood rolled down his chin. Sakura put her hand over her mouth. Haku coughed, blood splattering on Kakashi's arm as he grabbed it, slowly life leaked from his eyes. "Z-Za...buza..." Haku desperately grasped for air, his grip loosening on Kakashi's arm. "So, my future's all used up, huh?" Zabuza chuckled, "Wrong again, Kakashi."

"Don't be ridiculous! You are not going to the bridge all by yourself." She glared down at Inari, her hands on her hips. "I have to go by myself because none of the others will come with me!" Inari shook his head, holding his small wooden crossbow in his hands. "I have no choice." He looked up at him mother, her eyes softened. "You shouldn't go at all." Her black hair swayed around her, Inari walked past her, towards the door. "Stop this! You're only a child! What do you think you can do?!" She shouted, stomping as she followed him to the door. "You're right, I am just a kid." Inari turned his face back to her, a grin painted on. "But a kid who knows what it means to stand up and fight. I am my fathers kid." Inari pushed open the door, her eyes widened. "No, Inari, wait!" She jumped, about the chase after him. Inari looked up, a surprised look on his face.

"Where'd he go?" Naruto asked, standing up with his fists clenched. "I don't know..." I shook my head, looking down at the ground. "Huh, is that him?" Naruto asked, pointing behind me. "Huh?" My eyed widened as I looked behind me, blood continued to drip from Haku's chest. "W-What..." I whispered, tears starting to form in my eyes again. "I don't get it, what the heck's going on here?" Naruto asked, shaking his head.

"Isn't that...the young man with the mask?" Tazuna asked, his voice quiet. "The boy threw himself in front of my attack..." Zabuza closed him eyes. "He saved your worthless life at the cost of his own." Zabuza laughed, "Good job, Haku." He said, quickly grabbing his sword. _He'd hack right through the boy to take me down!_ Kakashi started to move back. I knew I'd found a treasure when I found you, boy! Haku held onto Kakashi's hand with his last strength, Kakashi tried his best to pull it out. _You've not only given me your life, but Kakashi's as well!_ Zabuza heaved the large sword over his shoulder, Kakashi hugged Haku to his chest as he jumped out of the way, the sword stuck into the bridge. "Not bad for having a corpse in your arms." Zabuza said bluntly, I jumped up on my feet. "You'll pay for that!" I shouted, stomping my foot on the ground, Naruto looked over at me. "No, stay out of this, (Y/N)." Kakashi warned, gently resting Haku on the ground. Kakashi looked down at his blood splattered face, quietly he closed Haku's eyes. "This is my battle. Zabuza is mine."

"(Y/N)?" Sakura looked over at me. "(Y/N)!" She called out to me, her pink hair bobbing at she waved. Tears fell down the sides of my face as I looked down. "Over here, (Y/N)!" She shouted from across the bridge, a large smile on her face. _Sakura. "_ So, you and Sasuke are all right?" She asked, I clenched my fists as I looked behind me, Sasuke's jet black hair rustled in the wind. "What's wrong? Where is Sasuke anyway?" I looked up at her, wiping tears from my face as I shook my head. "No..." Her lip quivered, I couldn't watch. "Sakura-" "Kakashi, I'd stay focused if I were you!" Zabuza shouted, dashing towards him with his sword in hand. I fell to my knees, Sasuke was laying quietly next to me. Kakashi kicked Zabuza in the chest, he fell back.

"Let me take you to him, Sakura." Tazuna looked down at her worried face, "As long as we stay together, you won't be disobeying your sensei's orders." His eyes were soft. "T-Thank you..." She said in a hushed whisper, grabbing onto Tazuna's hand as she ran. "S-Sasuke..." I whispered to him, tears dripping from my eyes. Sakura was standing behind me, I started to tremble. "H-His body's cold...this isn't just one of his genjutsu tricks...is it." I lightly touched the side of his face, Tazuna looked down at the ground. Sakura was still. I couldn't take it any more, I started to sob uncontrollably. _A shinobi never shows his feelings, no matter what the circumstances. Feelings are a weakness that only cloud his judgement and weaken his sense of duty._ "S-Sasuke..." Sakura called out, her eyes still widened with shock. I rested my head on his chest, unable to control my tears. _To put such an unbearable burden on a young kids shoulders, if that's the shinobi way, you can have it._ Tazuna clenched his fists. Naruto held onto the front of his shirt tightly, closing his eyes as he saw me cry.

Zabuza was gasping for air, kneeling on the floor with blood stained clothes. Two kunai were stuck deeply into his arm, he rested himself on his sword. Kakashi watched him intently. _Why-why can't I keep up with him?_ Zabuza stared him down, pulling his sword out of the concrete as he charged towards Kakashi, his arm limply flailing in the air. Kakashi easily knocked him out of the way with his fist, his other hand in his pocket as Zabuza went tumbling to the ground. Slowly Zabuza got back up on his knees, angry eyes glaring at Kakashi, he smacked him down to the floor once again. Zabuza held tightly onto his sword as it skidded on the ground, "I'll split you in half!" Zabuza shouted, shaking with anger as he once again dashed towards Kakashi. He swung his sword at him, Kakashi jumped out of the way with ease, watching as it crashed into the ground. "Look at you, you're falling apart." Kakashi was behind him, a strong grip on his neck. "I knew you didn't have what it takes for the long haul." "What did you say?!" Zabuza seethed, clenching his fist. "You have no idea what real strength is." Kakashi glared down at him darkly.

"Well, well. So this is how it turns out, huh?" A voice called from a distance. "Game over, you loose." Kakashi said, holding two kunai tightly in his hand. He swung his arm down, about to strike Zabuza. "Huh?" Kakashi's eyes widened as he saw Zabuza twist around, his sword coming back at him. Kakashi dug his kunai into Zabuza's other arm before running away, blood dripped down from his wound. "Now both of your arms are useless, what now?" Kakashi called out, "You can't even make hand signs." Kakashi looked down at him. The man took a step closer. "Did quite a job on you, didn't he Zabuza? You look like yesterdays sashimi." He called out, Kakashi turned his head towards him. "I must say, I am disappointed." Gato called out, a group of thugs behind him. Zabuza gritted his teeth.


	19. The Demon in the Snow

"Gato, I don't understand. What is all this? Why are you here? And who are thugs you've brought with you?" Zabuza grunted, turning his back on Kakashi. "Hm, well you see, there's been a slight change in plan." Gato hit his cane against the ground of the bridge, Zabuza squinted his eyes at him. "According to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge, Zabuza." Gato grinned up at him. "What?" Zabuza said through gritted teeth. "That's right, you're too expensive. So, I've decided to take you off the payroll. Of course, even these thugs I brought with me cost something. So if you could manage to slaughter a few of them before they take you down, I'd appreciate it." Gato said smugly, "Think you can manage that, ninja of the mist?" Gato mocked, snickering as he looked down at him. "You look as demonic as a wet kitten." He laughed. _There are so many of them, one rouge ninja was bad enough!_ Naruto watched in awe. "Well, well, Kakashi. It would seem our fight is at an end. Since I am no longer in Gato's employ, Tazuna's safe." Zabuza's arms hung limply to his sides. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." Kakashi looked over at him.

"That reminds me," Gato called out, looking down at Haku's corpse. "You little punk. You grabbed me, and nearly broke my arm." Gato started to kick Haku in the side of the face. "I've been meaning to repay you for that!" Naruto gasped. "I only wish he was alive to feel it." A shadow grew over Zabuza's face. "Get away! Get away from his you scum!" Naruto shouted, dashing towards him, Kakashi caught him with his arm. "Hey, stop. Use your head!" Kakashi grunted, throwing Naruto back down on the ground. "You're going to let him do that, Zabuza?" Naruto shouted. "Be quiet, fool. Haku's dead. What does it matter?" Zabuza grunted back, keeping his eyes on the floor. "What? You mean, you could just stand there and watch him get treated like a dog?! You and Haku were together for years, doesn't that mean anything?" Naruto shouted, looking up at him with clenched fists. "You don't understand the way of the shinobi. I merely used him as Gato used me." Zabuza looked over at Haku. "Huh?!" Naruto seethed. "Now, it's over. His usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, yes, that means something to me. But the boy, nothing." Zabuza kept his head down, his back facing Naruto. "If you mean that, you're an even bigger rat than I thought-" "Okay, that's enough. Calm down, Naruto, he's not out enemy, right now." Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, Naruto slapped his hand away. "Gah! Shut up! As far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Zabuza. "You ungrateful- after every thing he did for you! Haku lived for you! You were the most important thing in the world to him! And he meant nothing to you?! Nothing at all?!" Naruto seethed, flailing his arms around. "While he was sacrificing everything for you, you never felt anything at all for him?" Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, "And if I become as powerful as you...doe's that mean I become as cold hearted as you are?" Naruto's blue eyes blazed up at him, tears sliding down his red cheeks. "He threw his life away, and for what? For you and your dream?" Naruto shook his head, his tears dropping on the bridge. "You never let him have a dream of his own, but he didn't care. And you just tossed him aside like he was nothing. A broken tool. Man, that's so wrong! So...wrong." Naruto put his head down. "You...you talk too much." Zabuza's voice was soft, "Huh?" Naruto looked over at him, Zabuza's head was to the sky, tears running down his face. "Your words cut deep...deeper than any blade." Zabuza's eyes traveled back down to Haku. "When he was fighting you three, his heart was breaking in two. Haku was always too soft and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow. And now, curse him, I feel them too." Zabuza gritted his teeth. "And something else...I feel content that this is the way it ends." Zabuza grunted, ripping his teeth into the mask the covered his face, exposing his sharp teeth. "Huh?" Gato looked over at him, surprise taking over his features. "Well, cat got your tongue? Are you surprised to discover that I'm human?" _All shinobi are human, no matter how hard we try to escape that fact, we always fail. Or ,at least, I have failed._ "Boy," Zabuza called out, "Huh?" Naruto jumped. "Give me your kunai." Zabuza looked over at him. "Here..." Naruto's voice was soft as he threw the blade over to him, Zabuza reached his neck out, catching it in his teeth. Growling he looked over at Gato. "Aah! That's enough of this!" Gato shouted, dropping his cane as he ran back into the crowd. "Do it! Take him down!" Gato ran through them, sweat dripping down his forehead. "He must be out of his mind!" A man scoffed, "One against all of us, what's he thinking?" Zabuza ran straight into the crowd, slicing through people with the kunai, his teeth started to bleed as he held onto the weapon. Thugs fell left and right as he sliced through their throats, blood spraying in the air as he passed by. His arms flailed behind him as he dodged incoming attacks, but someone stuck up behind him, piercing their sword into his back. Zabuza staggered around, his eyes blazing with fury as he continued to run, his target Gato. "AHH!" Gato screamed, backing up to the unfinished end of the bridge, Zabuza edging closer to him. Running as fast as he could, Zabuza slammed the kunai into Gato's chest, blood coughed up out of his mouth. "Gah!" Zabuza grunted as daggers and blades of all sorts were shot into his back, the bloodied kunai dropped to the ground. "Y-You crazy fool!" Gato wheezed, holding the large hole in his chest with his hand. "If you're so eager to join your friend, go ahead!" Gato trembled, "But you're not taking me! Not this time!" Gato shook his head, sweat dripped down his face. "I won't be joining Haku..." Zabuza gasped for air, "Where he's gone, I cannot follow." Zabuza grunted as he continued to move on, walking closer to Gato. "Stay back, stay back!" Gato shouted, desperately walking back. " _We_ wouldn't be welcome where Haku's gone to. Hell's where were going, Gato!" Zabuza shouted, pushing his face up in front of his. Gato shook violently, "I can't think of a more fitting destination for a demon ninja, can you?" Zabuza grinned, his sharp teeth glistening. "I'm told there are many demons down there, of all shapes and sizes, oh, yes, I should fit right in!" Blood dripped down Gato's chin as he leaned back, a horrified look on his face. "You, on the other hand, Gato, well, I fear you're in for a long painful eternity!" Zabuza shouted, grabbing ahold of the kunai sticking out of Gato's chest with his teeth, continuing to slash him with it. Gato started to tumble back, his glasses falling on the bridge. Zabuza turned around in a spin, jumping up to finally stick the kunai in Gato's throat. Gato fell off the bridge, dead as he splashed into the water.

Zabuza turned around. Frightened gasped spread through out the crowd of the surviving thugs, they quickly spread away for him. Zabuza looked down at Haku laying on the ground. Slowly, he began to move towards him. "H-Haku..." His voice was hoarse and strained as he continued to walk, desperately fumbling around. "So...this is goodbye...at last." Zabuza called out, tears beginning to drip from his eyes. "Not once did I ever thank you, Haku. F-Forgive me for that..." Zabuza fell to the ground, his tears leaking onto the bridge. Naruto closed his eyes, putting his head down. "Don't turn away." Kakashi called out, Naruto looked over at him. "When you live a warrior, this is how it ends."

 _W-Where am I? Am I alive? Or-(Y/N)? Can it be?_ He opened his eyes up. _It is..._ I was a sniffling mess. "(Y/N)?" Sasuke called out, I jumped off of his chest, tears streaming down my face as I looked at him. "S-S-Sasuke...?" I shook my head, "Sasuke, you big creep!" I shouted, wiping tears away from my face as I looked away from him. "Sasuke!" Sakura fell down onto her knees, scooping his up in a big hug. "Ow, Sakura, that hurts..." Sasuke grunted, trying his best to push himself away from her. _So things turned out right after all._ Tazuna sniffled, looking down at the three of us. "N-No, you shouldn't move." Sakura shook her head as she watched him sit up, I was still sniffling. "What happened to that guy in the mask?" Sasuke asked, his breathing jagged. "H-He's dead..." I whispered, he looked over at me with a surprised face. "Dead? Did Naruto or..." I shook my head, "He was protecting Zabuza." I explained with a small smile, keeping my fists clenched. "I had faith in you, Sasuke. I knew you'd pull though, you're too cool a guy to stay down for long." Sakura clasped her hands together with a big smile. "Cool my butt, he's almost as lame as Naruto." I grinned, looking over at Sasuke. _He never meant to, at the very beginning._ I stood up. "Hey, Naruto! Over here!" I shouted at him, waving my arm in the air, he turned around in an orange flash. "It's Sasuke, he's alright!" Sakura smiled, Sasuke slowly climbed to his feet, needles still sticking out of him. Sasuke turned his head away, putting his hand in the air. Naruto smiled, chuckling nervously as he wiped his tears away. "Well, well, will wonders never cease?" Kakashi mumbled to himself, still bent down on his knee. "Hey! Yoo-hoo!" A thug shouted out, "Huh?" Naruto turned his head back over at them. "Don't go getting too comfortable, this part ain't over yet. Who's going to pay us now that Gato's gone? No way we're going to leave here empty handed. So, we'll just have to hit up that village and see what they've got for us!" He grinned, the crowd starting to shuffle. "Not good..." Kakashi sighed, starting to tilt over to the side. "Come on, Kakashi-sensei! You must have a jutsu that could take care of this bunch of losers!" Naruto grinned, clenching his fists as he looked over at him. "Not right now, I've used too much of my chakra. "Get em' boys!" He shouted, heavy foot steps shaking the bridge as they ran towards us. An arrow flew through the air above us, landing right in front of the crowd of brutes, they stopped dead in their tracks.

"There's one little thing you're forgetting about!" Giichi shouted, Inari standing in front of the large crowd of villagers he had grouped together, wielding his crossbow. "Before you set one foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us! Yeah!" Shouts erupted through the crowd. "Inari!" Naruto shouted with a grin, he grinned up at him. "Heroes usually show up at the last minute, you know?" Inari smiled, tears were peaking at Tazuna's eyes. "They've come, the whole village." Tazuna sniffled, a smile growing on his face. "Heh, no way I'm going to miss out on all the fun." Naruto grinned, I jumped up. "You can count me in too!" I giggled, running towards him. "Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted, copies of his sprouted out. "Yeah! Shadow clone jutsu!" I shouted, three of my duplicates sprouted out at each side. Frightened whispers erupted from the crows of brutes. "Hm, I might just have enough chakra left to help you two out..." Kakashi mumbled, putting his hands together. "Shadow clone jutsu," thousands of Kakashi's spreaded around the bridge, I looked around in awe, I seemed to have lost Naruto in the sea of Kakashi's. "Gah!" gasps erupted from the crowd, " **Okay, still want to fight?** " All the Kakashi's asked simultaneously, shouts erupted from the crowd of brutes as they all started to run towards the ship they docked on the side of the bridge, a Kakashi touched my shoulder. "Huh?" I looked up at him as he knelt down to me. "Are you alright, (Y/N)? You've still got needles poking out of you, and-" Kakashi rubbed the side of my face with his thumb, "Ow..." I whined, "You've got a big scratch right here." Kakashi sighed. "I'm fine, really, Kakashi-sensei!" I smiled, my clones evaporating into the air. "Victory!" I heard Inari shout from a distance away. "All right!" The villagers rejoiced, less and less Kakashi's started to appear. "That's goo to hear." He smiled down at me as he stood back up, I nodded my head.

Zabuza was laying on the ground, face down, weapons sticking out of his back. Kakashi walked over to him, I was close behind. "Sounds like it's over." Zabuza grunted, barely being able to move his head. "Yeah." Kakashi looked down at him, his hands in his pockets. "Kakashi? I have a favor to ask." Zabuza pressed his cheek against the cold concrete, trying his best to look up at Kakashi. "What is it?" He asked, "Take me to him. Before I go, I need to see him one last time." Zabuza choked out his words, Kakashi pulled his head band back over his eye. "Sure." He nodded, kneeling down onto the ground. Naruto looked over at us, watching as Kakashi pulled out the weapons that were sticking in Zabuza's back, silent the entire time. Limping, Kakashi picked Zabuza up in his hands, he ambled over to Haku. "Huh?" I looked up at the sky as I felt something cold hit the top my my head. Snow started to lightly come down, my eyes widened. Zabuza shuffled in Kakashi's arms.

"Impossible, snow at this time of the year?" Giichi looked up at the sky in wonder. _Is it you, Haku? Are you...crying?_ Zabuza struggled to keep his eyes open as he looked up at the sky. Kakashi knelt down to the ground, he laid Zabuza down at Haku's side. "Thank you...Kakashi." Zabuza turned his head over to Haku, Kakashi slowly walked away from them, I stood next to Naruto.

"You were always by my side...the least I could do was be beside you in the end." Zabuza's gaze softened as he looked over at Haku, with all the strength left in his body, Zabuza moved his arm up. "I know it cannot be," He began, his words soft as he reached out and touched Haku's cold cheek. "but I wish I could go to where you have gone. How I wish I could join you there...Haku." A tear slid down Haku's cheek. "H-He told me, that where he'd come from, it was always snowing..." I sniffled, fighting to hold back tears. "Of course. His spirit was as pure as the snow." Kakashi rested his hand on my shoulder. "You never know, Zabuza. Maybe you will join him there. Who's to say?"

The sun set was looming in the background, Zabuza's sword stood up from the ground, marking his grave. "Is that really it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, looking down at the grave. "Hm?" Kakashi looked over to her. "Is that the ninja way? To use and be used by people like tools?" Sakura asked, sadness engraved on her face. "Shinobi are all merely tools in the hands of destiny, no point in wondering whether it's wrong or right. It just is. It's the same in the Village Hidden In the Leaves." Kakashi explained in a soft tone, Sakura walked closer to us. "Well, if you ask me, if that's what being a ninja's all about, somethings out of whack. Is that why we go through all this training? Just to end up like them?" Naruto asked, I turned my head over to Kakashi. "What is the reason for that?" I wondered, all eyes on Kakashi. "Well, it's a question without an answer." Kakashi sighed, "And that is something we ninja have to deal with every day of our lives, like Zabuza and Haku." Kakashi looked down at the ground. "Okay!" Naruto jumped up, "Hm?" Everyone looked over to him. "From now on, I'm finding my own ninja way! A way that's straight and true, with out any regrets! From no on, I'm following the way of Naruto!" He raised his fist in the air, I put my hands on my hips. "Idiot." I said with a laugh.

"We could never of finished the bridge with out you. I can't tell you how much we're going to miss you all." Tazuna said to us all with a nod. "Do be careful." His daughter said with a smile, "Thank you for everything!" I smiled at them, "We'll come back and visit, real soon!" Naruto grinned, Inari gulped, tears welling up in his eyes. "Y-You swear you will?" Inari whimpered, "Huh?" Naruto and I looked over at him, Tazuna put his hand on Inari's head. "Of course." Naruto sniffled, I turned my head away with my arms crossed. "N-Naruto..." I whispered, tears starting to well up in my own eyes. "You know, Inari, it's all right to cry if you want." Naruto shook slightly, "Y-Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that. Go for it." I kept my arms crossed, my eyes watery. "Who says I'm gonna cry? Anyway, if there's nothing wrong with it, then why don't _you_ cry?" Inari asked me, "No, you first." I said hoarsely. "F-Forget it!" Naruto turned his face away, I did as well. Tears streamed down out faces. _They can be so pathetic._ Sakura sighed, shaking her head.

"It was all their doing, they made you stronger, Inari. And you, in turn, made the rest of us stronger. It was thanks to those kids, we were able to build a bridge to a place we have never known, a place where we had found our courage, a place to fulfill our dreams." Tazuna watched as the five of our back faded in the distance. "Say, speaking of the bridge, now that it's finished, uh, what shouldn't we name it?" Giichi asked, looking over Tazuna's shoulder. "Yes, of course. Huh, and I know just the name." Tazuna nodded. "You do? What?" Giichi wondered, looking up at him. "We'll call it, The Great (Y/N) Bridge." Tazuna nodded with a grin, "Ha, I think that's a wonderful name." His daughter giggled.

"As soon as we get back, I'm gonna let Iruka-sensei fix me up a whole mess of ramen to celebrate a mission accomplished!" Naruto grinned, resting his hands on his hips. "Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, Naruto." I smiled, looking over at him. "I've been dying for some of that pork ramen," I said dreamily, licking my lips. "Yeah! Oh, and just wait until we tell Konohamaru about all our adventures! The kid's gonna worship me!" Naruto laughed. "Hey," Sakura called out. "Yeah?" Naruto asked, a big goofy grin hanging on his face. "Not you, Naruto." Sakura pushed past him to get to Sasuke's side. "Sasuke, when we get back, you wanna go out and do something together?" Sakura asked, a pink blush coating her face. "No." He said simply, turning back over to me. "Oh..." Sakura mumbled, looking at the ground. "Sakura, I'd do something with you, if ya want." I grinned, turning over to her. "What?!" She screamed, grabbing a hold of my shirt. "Hey, that was a private conversation!" Sakura seethed.

"You sure about that name, Tazuna?" Giichi asked, looking over at him with a questioning look. "It's a name that brought us good luck, it'll do the same for the bridge. I think this bridge will stand for a long, long time. Perhaps it'll even be famous one day. The name (Y/N) known through out the world." Tazuna looked over at Inari, he wiped the tears away from his face. "That would be something, wouldn't it?"


	20. A New Chapter, The Chunin Exams Begin!

I sighed, leaning up against the railing. Sakura was staring at Sasuke, he was staring at me, I awkwardly stared at the ground. _Dang it, not again!_ I huffed, "Hey, good morning, (Y/N), what's up?" Naruto grinned, his face flashing pink. I looked over at him with a smile, but his eyes were looking else where. I sighed, Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other, their eyes blazing. "Hmph!" Naruto turned his head away, I crossed my arms. _Good grief, not again! They've been like this ever since we got back from the Land Of the Waves!_ I puffed out my cheeks as I looked back down at the ground, _it's like being stuck between a couple of children! Ugh, hurry up Kakashi-sensei! I've had it!_ I gritted my teeth.

The sun was high up in the sky by the time Kakashi came, it felt like an eternity had passed. "Hey, guys, good morning." He waved, his hair looked like he just hopped out of bed. "Sorry I'm late, afraid I got lost on the path of life." He smiled down at us, "Gaah!" Sakura seethed, waving her fists in the air. "I'm ready for the next mission, sensei!" Naruto jumped up. "Yeah, and come on! No more of this dumb beginner stuff, okay?" I was next to Naruto, excited for what was next to come. "I want a chance to prove myself, I'm talkin a real mission, where I could show what I'm made of! Gaah! I'm gonna break it up and burn it down, see?!" Naruto shouted, flailing his arms in the air, Kakashi gulped. "Uh...right. I get it, that's-that's great, Naruto, now, take it easy, would you?" Kakashi sighed, holding his hands up defensively. Naruto growled, turning his head around to Sasuke. _Sasuke! He's always rescuing everyone on our missions, trying to grab all the glory, making me look like a chump! But he'll never get the edge on me!_ Naruto thought to himself, shaking in anger as he glared at Sasuke. "Huh?" I wondered, turning my head around, meeting Sasuke's eyes. He jumped slightly, pink rising to his face. "Today's the day!" Naruto shouted, stomping on his foot, I looked over at him, Sasuke did to. "BELIEVE IT!" He seethed, I wouldn't be surprised if he started to breath fire. "Let us know when you're done fantasizing, Naruto, so we can start the mission, all right?" Kakashi called out, his hands in his pockets. "Right!" Naruto jumped up, his fists clenched. "Could you not be so annoying, Naruto, just for once?!" Sakura shouted, her hands on her hips.

The sun was high in the sky, a mellow breeze rustled the plants, I was happily picking weeds out from the ground. "Well, I'm gonna beat Sasuke anyway!" Naruto grinned, rolling up his sleeves as he started to pull out everything from the garden. I face palmed.

"Hey, you!" A woman stomped over, "Oh, hi, lady! I got rid of all your weeds for you! Pretty cool, huh?" Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his neck, she started to tremble with anger. "Uh, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, dumbstruck. "You pulled the weeds, and you also pulled up all my plants!" She shouted, "Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, his mouth wide open. "Those were special herbs I've been growing and you destroyed them!" She seethed through gritted teeth, "OW! OW! OW!" Naruto shouted, I held back my laughter as I watched the lady smack him around.

The cool river washed against my legs, I smiled as I picked up trash from in between the river stones, tossing it into the bucket tied to my back. The water was refreshing. Kakashi was calmly leaned up against a tree, reading one of his books. "Gah!" Naruto gasped, falling back into the water. "Huh?" I looked at him, he was being swept away by the current. "Naruto!" I shouted, gasping at I watched him drift farther down, **the waterfall!** I ran through the water, in a flash Sasuke was in front of me, hanging on a wire he had fastened to a tree. "AHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed, hanging over the water fall, completely soaked. "You're such a loser." Sasuke huffed, shaking his head. I giggled.

"Hey! Hey! Not there! We're supposed to go the other way!" Naruto grunted, struggling as he pulled the dogs leash as strongly as he could. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Gaah!" Naruto was tugging as hard as he could. "Darn it!" He seethed, I put my hand on my hip, watching. "What a loser..." Sasuke sighed, "I can agree on that one." I nodded, "Of course! He just has to choose the biggest dog." Sakura shook her head, her pink hair swaying from side to side. "Ah! Stop pulling! You're not supposed to go over there!" Naruto shouted, Kakashi was in his own universe, his nose stuck in a book. "That's not a place for dogs! That's a minefield!" He screamed, the dog dragged him through the gate. The three of us watched wide eyed as he set off explosions, jumping back, the dog pulled Naruto back out, burnt to a crisp. I sighed in relief.

I held Naruto's arm over my shoulders, Sasuke supported the other side as we walked. Naruto was all scuffed up and bruised, Sakura was walking close to Sasuke's side. "Look at you, you've got to take better care of your self, Naruto." I smiled down at him, he grinned back up at me. "Ha, you really are just one big problem." Sasuke grinned smugly, "Gnnnnnn!" Naruto jumped back. "Sasuke!" He seethed, clenching his fists, Sakura stood in front of him, her blue eyes blazing. "If you keep this up, I'll finish you myself!" She shouted, raising her fist in the air, Kakashi sighed. "I guess we're not making a lot of progress on the teamwork thing, huh?" Kakashi shook his head, "That's right! Our teamwork's all messed up, and it's all because of you, Sasuke! You think you're better than everyone else?!" Naruto shouted at his turned back, Sasuke shook his head. "Not everyone. Just you. Face it, I'm better and stronger than you are. And (Y/N) like me better, it's a fact. Unless," Sasuke turned his head around to Naruto's furious face. "Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong." Sasuke turned around, his hands in his pockets, a sad expression written on Sakura's face, I sighed, crossing my arms. _They're actually getting along worse than before, if that's even possible!_ Naruto clenched his fists, growling with fury as he looked over at Sasuke, _I don't have time to waste on Naruto and these lame missions. There's still ninja out there who can out fight me, I've got to get stronger so I can beat them and protect (Y/N). There's no way I'm letting them get hurt again._ Sasuke looked over at me, I was looking up in the sky, a hawk was circling around over head. "Alright right, guys." Kakashi yawned, slipping his book mark back into place. "Let's call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other time, anyway, I have to file this mission report." Kakashi placed his hands in his pockets. "Whatever, I'm out of here." Sasuke turned his back, walking away with a cross look on his face. "Wait!" Sakura called out, running towards him, "Sasuke, I'll go with you!" She shouted, her pink hair swaying behind her. "Uh! Ah...ah..." I was about to ask her to hang out, but she already ran away, I let my extended hand hang in the air.

"So, why don't we, you know, let's do something more personal." Sakura blushed as she looked over at Sasuke, "I mean, to improve our team work, and all." She smiled, Sasuke put his hands in his pockets. "I swear, you're just as bad as Naruto." Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Instead of following me around, why don't you practice your jutsu and make the team stronger?" Sasuke turned back around. "Let's face it, you're worse than Naruto." Sasuke walked away, Sakura was slumped down, a shadow growing over his face. _He's right...what have I really done so far on all our missions? Nothing. Zip!_ Sakura sniffled, looking down at the ground. "Don't worry, Sakura! Just forget about Sasuke, we can still hang out! And I don't think Naruto would mind joining in!" I laughed, waving at her. "Gnnnnn!" Sakura seethed, starting to shake with anger. "Huh?" I gasped, Kakashi-sensei disappeared on a puff. Sakura was starting to walk away, Naruto looked over at me with a pink face. _Kakashi-sensei disappeared, is he giving us some alone time?_ Naruto grinned, his face reddening. "Huh?" I heard a loud shuffle coming near us, I turned to look back at the ground. _Fake rocks? What's up with that?_ Naruto turned his head down too, he shook his head, turning the other way as he started to run, I followed his side with a smile. The shuffling followed us, Naruto took a sharp turn back to where we came from, I followed him again, having nothing better to do. He started to pick up speed, the shuffling becoming more apparent as we continued to run. Suddenly Naruto turned back around, the costume shook as he tried his best to settle back down. "That's the worst disguise of all time!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger down at the block of fake rocks. "There's no such thing as square rocks! It's completely obvious!" Naruto shouted down at the box, Sakura turned her head back around. "You saw through me camouflage again? You're slick, boss. Just what I expected from my greatest rival!" Konohamaru shouted, I tilted my head as I looked down at them. Three kids jumped out of the box, I put my hands in my pockets. "I'm Moegi! The sassiest kunoichi in preschool, check me out!" Moegi, a little girl with pig tails smiled, putting her hand on her hip. "I love algebra, call me Udon!" A boy with short brown hair said with a sniffle, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "And I'm the number one ninja in the village, Konohamaru!" He shouted with a grin, looking up at the two of us. "And when we're all together-" He grinned, his friends at his side. " **We're the Konohamaru ninja squad!** " The three of them shouted simultaneously, Naruto put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, I knew it was you, Konohamaru." Naruto looked down at the three of them, "Hm? What are those things? Those goggles you're wearing on your head." Naruto asked, Konohamaru laughed. "Ha, you used to wear goggles, remember?" Konohamaru grinned, touching them. "Oh, yeah, that was a while ago, huh Naruto?" I asked, looking over to him. "Hm." He nodded. "Hey! Come on, boss! Why are you being like that? You ought to be more excited!" Konohamaru shouted at him, clenching his fist. "So...did you want something?" Naruto asked, Konohamaru turned back to his friends. "He's just trying to be cool." Konohamaru whispered. "You know what we want! Are you busy now?" Moegi whined, looking up at him. "Hmm...I have to train. Believe it!" Naruto grinned, pointing his thumb at himself. "What?! But you promised you would play ninja with us today! Come on!" Konohamaru complained, "Pfft..." I held my mouth shut, trying not to laugh. Naruto's face turned red. "O-Oh...uh, hehe, d-did I say that?" _Ugh, if I say yes (Y/N) would think I'm a loser and these kids would be bugging me all day and I won't get any training done!_ Naruto gulped. "A ninja playing ninja?" I giggled, _they're staring right at me, I think I'm turning red!_ Naruto chuckled nervously, "Hey, boss, who are they any way?" Konohamaru asked, looking over at me. _By the way they're staring at him..._ "Ah!" Konohamaru grinned, "I get it. You're a smooth operator, boss." Konohamaru laughed, "Uh..." Naruto's face was as red as a tomato. "Come on, I know that they're your... _'significant other'_." Konohamaru giggled, Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "Huh?!" My face turned pink as I clenched my fists, "Well, you could tell they're really crazy about me, huh?" Naruto grinned, "IDIOT!" I shouted, hitting Naruto in the side of his face, I sent him flying into a wooden gate. "What kind of lover are you?!" Konohamaru shouted at me, I glared down at him with burning (E/C) orbs. Moegi and Udon ran over to Naruto, "I think they cracked him!" Moegi gasped, "Oh no! We gotta check his pulse!" Udon bent down to him. "You're a witch! And you're ugly too!" Konohamaru shouted at me, I was fuming. I cracked my knuckles menacingly as I stomped over to him. "GAH!" He yelped, quivering.

"Hmph!" I stomped away, "Konohamaru, are you okay?" Udon asked, looking at him toppled down on the floor, two large lumps growing on the top of his head. Naruto slowly climbed back up on his feet. "I don't even think they're human!" Konohamaru gasped, holding his head. "Did you see how weird their face was-huh?" I stopped, dead in my tracks, balling my hands into fists. I slowly turned around to them, an evil grin painted on my face. Breathing heavily, I dashed towards them, they screamed as they ran for dear life. "AH!" Konohamaru gasped, falling back down on his butt, I was about to grab a hold of Naruto. "Huh?" I looked up. Two people stood in the path, Konohamaru had banged into his leg. "Uh?" Naruto looked over at him, Sakura watched from a distance. "Do you need something?" The boy grunted, a girl stood close to his side, her hand on her hip.

"Alright, thank's for the report, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka nodded, glancing over the papers Kakashi put on the desk. "Hey, uh, how's Naruto and (Y/N) doing? Are they getting along okay with the other students?" Iruka asked him with a smile, "Well, uh, little by little." Kakashi looked over to the side. "It's been so busy around here. I haven't seen them since they got back from the mission to the Land Of the Waves. I'm a little worried about them." Iruka shuffled through the papers. "Uh...y'know, Sasuke's also in our group. Naruto sees him as a rival, which puts a constant strain on the group. But that also pushes them to excel, so the two of them are making amazing progress. Some day, their skills may be so strong, they'll match the person the respect most in the world, you." Kakashi smiled, Iruka was blushing. "You don't say, heh." Iruka smiled up at him.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto gasped, the boy was holding Konohamaru in the air by his scarf, the girl frowned. "So, does this hurt punk?" He grinned, Konohamaru gasped for air. "Put him down, Kankuro. Or you know you'll pay for it, later." She had worry etched onto her face. I took a step closer. "Hey, you better take your hands off of him right now!" I shouted, Kankuro looked over at me, his eyes widening slightly. _So, these are the Leaf Village's genin?_ "We've got a few more minutes before he gets here, let's mess with these, punks, huh?" Kankuro grinned, Konohamaru grunted. "Let go of me, jerk!" Konohamaru kicked around, "You're feisty, but not for long." "Put him down!" I growled, running towards him with my fists clenched, Naruto was close behind me. "Gah!" I gasped, something wrapped around my leg, it pulled me closer to Kankuro. "So, you're a leaf genin too? Looks like your village is full of wimps." Kankuro grinned down at me, I gritted my teeth, kicking my leg around. "That's it! Drop them now, or I'll tear you apart! You got that, fool?!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Kankuro, I couldn't seem to break my leg free. "Hey, if you stop struggling around-" I kicked around wildly, just in spite of him. He gritted his teeth, a violet tug and I went tumbling towards him. "You're annoying, all of you." Kankuro lost his grin, he held onto my arm tightly. "Ha, speak for yourself. The only annoying one I see here is you!" I grinned, looking at him with gritted teeth. "I don't like runts, or any other scrawny weaklings, so when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth..." Kankuro's eyes shot daggers at Naruto. "Ow!" Konohamaru cried out as Kankuro tightened his grip on his scarf, "...I just wanna break him in half!" Moegi and Udon cried, whimpering as they looked up at Konohamaru struggling to get out of Kankuro's hold. "Fine, fine. But I'm not involved in any of this, okay?" The girl behind him sighed, Sakura was staring Kankuro down, she ran over as fast as she could. _What's this guys problem? This is getting ugly! "_ First, I'll take care of this little squirt." Kankuro looked over at Konohamaru, he let go of my arm, but his hand was still out in the air, I dropped to the ground, "Then I'll waste the other one!" Kankuro formed a fist, reeling his arm back, "No!" Naruto shouted, starting to run towards him. In a flash, something zoomed by my face, **hitting Kankuro right in his arm!** He dropped Konohamaru, he fell to the ground, gasping for air. "Huh?!" Kankuro gasped, holding onto his bleeding hand as he turned around, Sasuke was high up in a tree, leaning against it's trunk. He played with another stone in his hand. "You're a long way from home, and you're way out of your league." He looked down at Kankuro, anger shone through his black orbs. I scattered back to my feet, Konohamaru ran towards Naruto. I clenched my fists furiously. "Oh, great, another wimp to tick me off." Kankuro seethed, Sasuke clenched the rock in his hand, turning it into dust. "Get lost." He looked down at Kankuro, pure hatred on his face. "So cool!" Sakura gushed, her face turning pink. "How come you're not cool like that?" Konohamaru pointed at Naruto, his hand on his hip. "Ah, what do ya mean, I could of knocked that guy out in two seconds flat!" Naruto chuckled nervously, "Hmph!" Konohamaru turned his head away from him. _Sasuke! You're always trying to make me look bad in front on every one!_ Naruto growled. "Hey, punk, get down here." Kankuro called out, putting his hand on his hip. "You're the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most, all attitude and nothing to back it up." Kankuro grinned, pulling bandages out from the large thing he had tied to his back, I watched intently. "What? Are you going to use the Crow for this?!" The girl chimed in again, clenching her fists.

"Kankuro, back off." A voice called out from above, Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. I looked up at the tree. "You're an embarrassment to our village." He spoke again, his eyes on Kankuro. "Oh...uh...h-hey t-there, Gaara!" Kankuro stammered, _h-how did he get there? He didn't make a sound. Only jonin at Kakashi's level are that smooth,_ I looked up at his face. His eyes slowly shifted to mine, he froze as did I.

"I have summoned you here for a very important purpose." Lord Hokage called out, the room became silent. "Seeing your fellow jonin here, I'm sure you realize what this is all about." He looked around the room. "So soon? I thought we'd have a little more time." Kakashi answered back, putting his hands in his pockets. "I take it all the other lands have been notified about the coming event. I noticed some of their genin have already arrived here in the village." Asuma called out, a bent up cigarette between his lips. "And when do we start?" Kurenai asked, her red eyes darting around the room. "We will begin in one week." Hokage answered back with a nod. "That's pretty short notice." Kakashi's eye widened. "Take heed. Exactly seven days from today, on the first of July, the genin will be gathered and tested. Only the very best will be selected as jonin."


	21. Identify Yourself, Powerful New Rivals

"I-I know...I mean, they challenged us! T-They started the whole thing, really! See, here's what happened-" "Shut up." Gaara kept his eyes on me. "Or I'll kill you." Kankuro gulped, shaking slightly. "A-Ah, right! I was totally out of line! I'm-I'm sorry, Gaara." Kankuro stuttered. Gaara turned his body more towards me. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused." He said calmly, hanging upside down from the tree, Sasuke was glaring at him. _This guy has an evil look in his eye._ Sasuke thought, a bit put off. _Them..._ Gaara's eyes were burning into my brain. He bursted into sand, reappearing in front of Kankuro, I un-clenched my fists. "Hold on. I can tell from your headband that you come from the Village Hidden In the Sand. Of course the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies, but no shinobi can enter another's village without permission. So," Sakura walked in front of me, her pink hair swaying in the wind. "So, state your purpose, and it better be good." Sakura touched her pouch, the hilt of a kunai sticking out. "Really? Have you guys been living under a rock or what? We have permission." Temari held up a slip, Sasuke watched Gaara intently. "Of course, you're right. We are Hidden Sand genin, we're here for the chunin exams. Get the picture?" She put her hand on her hip sassily. "The chunin exams? What's that?" Naruto asked, completely confused. "Well, I've never heard of any chunin exams, believe it." Naruto nodded. "I believe it all right, that you're totally clueless." Temari grinned. "Hey, boss. Those are the exams that every genin's got to take in order to graduate to being a full-on chunin." Konohamaru explained to Naruto, "Oh, why didn't you just say so? I'm so there!" Naruto grinned. "Hey, you." Sasuke jumped down between me and Gaara, his black hair shifted in the wind. "Identify your self." Sasuke clenched his fists. "My name is Gaara of the desert." His eyes slowly drifted towards Sasuke. "I'm curious about you, too. Who are you?" Gaara said slowly, I peered over Sasuke's shoulder. "I am Sasuke Uchiha." He said bluntly. "Hey! I'm (Y/N)!" I grinned, stepping to Sasuke's side, waving towards Gaara. "(Y/N)..." He said slowly, turning his back. "Goodbye." Gaara said simply, Kankuro and Temari at his sides. "Ugh, where in the world could Mikio be? I swear, if he-" "Mikio?!" I asked, she jumped. "Huh? Uh, yeah. Mikio (L/N), you know him or something?" She asked, turning around with a surprised face, I gritted my teeth. "Forget about it." I turned my head away from her, Sasuke looked at me, surprised. "Whatever." Temari turned back around, the three of them were gone in a moments notice. I kept my head down. _Hm, things are about to get interesting._ Sasuke stood still. "Hey, Konohamaru, do I seem uncool, or something?" Naruto asked him, bent down on his knee. "Well, compared to Sasuke, yeah, you're pretty lame." Konohamaru nodded. "Gah! You're not going to show me up, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, flailing his fists in the air. "Back off, loser." Sasuke grunted, his arms crossed.

"What do you think, Dosu?" Zaku asked, leaning against a tree as he glared down at us. "Hm. Your usual weaklings, nothing special. But that (L/N) rat, the Uchiha, and the one from the desert, we should watch them carefully.

"Alright, it is time we chose out candidates for the chunin examinations. To begin, those in charge of the rookie genin step forward?" Lord Hokage asked, the three of them walked out, side by side. "Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma. What do you say? Are there any in your squads you'd recommend who are ready for the exams despite their inexperience?" Lord Hokage asked, looking at each of their faces. "As you know, and genin who has carried out eight or more missions is technically eligible for the examinations. Beyond that, only you can decide when they are ready. Of course, most genin require a much longer training period, at least twice that many missions." Lord Hokage explained, Iruka nodded. _There's no reason to say all of this, it's way too soon for their squads._ Iruka thought, watching them calmly from the crowd. "So, Kakashi, you begin." Lord Hokage nodded, Kakashi kept his hands in his pockets. "I lead squad seven, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, (Y/N) (L/N), and Sakura Haruno. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all four of these genin for the chunin selection exams." Kakashi nodded, Iruka gasped, a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. "And my squad is number eight. Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. And now I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three." She nodded. "And my squad is number ten. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. And now I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three." "Hold on, just a minute!" Iruka shouted, stepping out from the crowd of jonin. "Yes? What is it, Iruka?" Lord Hokage asked, rubbing his chin. "Lord Hokage, with all respect, the ten names that were just given were all my students at the academy. I know their skills and their abilities, every one of them has great promise, but it's too soon! They need more experience before they are tested, if they try now, they're sure to fail the exam!" Iruka explained, worry etched onto his features. Kakashi turned around. "When I became a chunin, I was six years younger than (Y/N) is now." "(Y/N) is nothing like you!" Iruka shouted, "Are you trying to destroy them?!" Iruka shook his head. "Well, they're always complaining about not being challenged enough. Maybe wiping out on the exams will teach them a lesson. A little pain is good." Kakashi rested his hands in his pockets calmly. "What-what did you just say?!" Iruka took a step closer. "Oh, nothing fatal, of course. But seriously, Iruka, relax." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, Iruka gritted his teeth. "Listen, I understand how you feel. It's very personal for you and it upsets you, but-" "Alright, Kakashi, you've said enough." Kurenai looked at him. "On the contrary, Kurenai, Iruka needs to hear this. He doesn't realize that they're not his student anymore. They're mine." Kakashi looked at Iruka, "Gnnnnn!" Iruka was furious. _Ugh, enough already._ Asuma looked away, Kurenai sighed, shaking her head. "But these exams could destroy them, you know that!" Iruka stomped his foot, "Iruka, you've made your point, I understand." Lord Hokage called out. "Accordingly, I have decided the best thing to do is to hold a special preliminary test." He took a puff from his pipe. "Pre-preliminary test?"

"Why, why, why?! It's always the same! He sets the times and then we have to wait hours for him!" Sakura growled, stomping her foot into the floor. "It's not fair!" I shouted in agreeance. "What about my feelings? I rushed here so fast, I didn't even have time to blow-dry my hair!" Sakura shouted. "Yeah! And I didn't even have time to brush my teeth or change my under wear!" Naruto shouted, nodding. "You, uh, didn't? That's pretty disgusting, Naruto." Sakura shivered. _First thing in the morning, and they're already driving me nuts._ Sasuke pouted. "Hey. Good morning, everyone. Sorry I'm late. Afraid I got lost on the path of life." Kakashi waved. " **You liar!** " Me and Sakura shouted at him, pointing accusing fingers. Kakashi walked over to us, Sasuke stood by my side. "I know this is a bit sudden, but I recommended you for the chunin exams, all four of you. These are the application forms." Kakashi held out four slits of brown paper. "Application forms?" Sakura asked, "You're repeating me, Sakura. This is all voluntary, it's up to each of you. If you don't feel ready, you can wait until next year." Kakashi explained, "All right!" Naruto jumped up, "Kakashi-sensei, you rock!" I laughed, he smiled down at me, a light shade of pink of his face. Naruto eagerly grabbed a slip from his hand. "Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application and come to room 301 at the academy. It's at three pm, five days from now. That's it." Kakashi explained, I looked down at the brown paper with a large smile.

The four of us, Sakura, Sasuke, me, and Naruto were calmly walking across the bridge. "Chunin exams, chunin exams!" Naruto laughed, staring at the paper with bright eyes. "I bet we'll be up against a bunch of really wicked ninja!" Naruto grinned, _like the guy with the mummy on his back!_ Naruto thought back on Kankuro, _and, of course, Mr. Attitude._ Naruto frowned, glaring over at Sasuke, Sasuke squinted his eyes at him. _All right! Who's the grand champion? That would be me!_ Naruto grinned, looking up at the sky. _If I come out on top, becoming Hokage will be easy after that! And..._ Naruto looked over at me, I was reading the paper closely. _There's no way (Y/N) could say 'no' to going out with me!_ "Hm?" I looked over at Naruto, catching him staring at me. "What's up?" I asked him, taking a step closer. "Huh? Oh...uh, nothing!" Naruto giggled, his face pink. _I hope I get a chance to fight that guy._ Sasuke looked down at the ground, Gaara popping into his head. _I hate the way he looked at (Y/N)._ Sasuke clenched his fists. _This is awesome! There's no way I could pass up a chance like this...but..._ I thought, looking around at my friends. _So, Mikio, you have returned to the village..._ I looked down at the ground. _Look's like we might have to fight again,_ _ **brother.**_ Sakura breathed out a heavy sigh, it broke my thought. _This is hopeless! I can't keep up with Sasuke, I can't even beat Naruto! I'll never pass these exams..._ Sakura looked down, I wondered why.

I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I walked down a small dirt path. It was late into the after noon and I was super tired, even though I slept all of last night. _It's surprisingly quiet, even though this is a under known short cut, with all the outsiders roaming around for the chunin exams, it feels...off._ I rested my hands in my pockets, calmly ambling down the path, kicking a rock along with me. _Something's not right here...I can feel it._ I kept calm, listening, waiting. _There's some one watching me...but who is it? Sasuke? No, he's not this stealthy. Kakashi-sensei? No, he would of made himself known by now. Naruto? Ha, is that even really a possibility?_ I snickered, passing a large tree that loomed over head. _Here!_ I opened my eyes, "Hey! Kid!" I heard a husky voice call out, some one jumped out from behind the tree, I took a step back. "Who the heck are you?" I called out, he held a kunai tightly in his hand. His face was covered by a light blue mask, black robes shifted in the breeze. "A rain ninja, huh?" I looked up at his head band.

"Hey! Naruto! Come and play ninja with us, please!" Konohamaru smiled, jumping up as he saw Naruto walk by. "Sure! I don't have any dangerous ninja missions today, so no problem!" Naruto grinned, his hands in his pockets. "Awesome!" The three of them cheered, Naruto's eyes widened as he saw smoke rise up behind the kids. "Huh?!" He gasped, a rain ninja appeared, chuckling at he grabbed Moegi, "AHHH!" She screamed, the rain ninja jumped back up on a tree. "Naruto! Konohamaru! Help!" Moegi cried out. "What are you doing with Moegi, you big slug!" Konohamaru shouted at him from the ground, raising his fist in the air. "Let her go! Right now!" Naruto shouted, running over to the tree. "Ha ha!" The rain ninja chucked, running away. Naruto chased after him, jumping from tree to tree. "Come on, Konohamaru!" Naruto shouted behind him, the kid tried his best to keep up. "Hold on! I'm with you, boss!" Konohamaru shouted, following Naruto, Udon followed Konohamaru. -

"Ugh, Chunin exams..." Sakura sighed, reclining on a bench. Sasuke walked over to her. "Hey." Sasuke called out to her, she turned her head quickly over to him, "Sasuke! What's up?" She asked with a gasp. "Let's take a walk, just you and me." Sasuke smiled over at her. "No way! You mean it?" Sakura giggled, her blue eyes glistened with excitement. -

"Those are some interesting eyes you've got there," The rain ninja called out, I shivered. "W-What do you mean by that?" I clenched my fists. The rain ninja pointed his kunai at me, "I know some people who'd pay good money for a kekkei genkai like that." The rain ninja grinned, I gritted my teeth. "Yeah? Well, tell them I'm not for sale!" Anger bubbled up inside me, I pulled a sharpened kunai out of my pocket, the soles of my shoes padded against the dirt road as I ran towards him, the rain ninja stood his ground. -

Moegi screamed, tears running down her face as the rain ninja jumped from tree branch to tree branch. _Well, well. He can keep up with me at this speed._ The rain ninja looked at Naruto behind him. "I'll get this creep! Moegi!" Naruto shouted. Konohamaru was gasping for air, far behind with Udon. "Oh, man. This is bad! Where's the boss? We've got to find the boss!" Konohamaru looked around the trees, "Are we lost, or is he?" Udon asked, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his jacket.  
"No! Let me go!" Moegi shouted as the rain ninja tied her to a tree. "I thought that the Hidden Leaf Village had powerful ninja, but now I see you're nothing, just a bunch of weaklings!" The rain ninja chuckled, Naruto landed on the grass behind him. "Hm? Well, that's was quick." The rain ninja turned around towards him. "Hey! You! Yeah, you! The fat old guy! What do you think you're doing with Moegi?!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "What I'm doing? Is that your question? You really want to know?" The rain ninja grinned, holding a kunai up to Moegi's throat. Naruto gasped, clenching his fists angrily. "If you move, the brat's finished!" The rain ninja grinned down at him. Naruto stood still. "Hey! Why are you doing this?! She's just a kid, let her go!" Naruto shouted at him. "I want the first Hokage's Scroll of Sealing, bring it to me and I'll let the girl go!" The rain ninja commanded, "The Scroll of Sealing?" Naruto gulped.

"Hey, um, Sasuke, how come all of the sudden you, you know, want to walk with me?" Sakura asked, stopping. Sasuke kept his back turned, his hands in his pockets. "Because I need to tell you to give up on the chunin exams. There's no way you can pass them, Sakura." Sasuke looked up at the sky. "I was afraid of that, you're right." Sakura sighed, looking down at the ground. "These ninja are very advanced and the have no mercy," Sasuke turned around to face her. "If you try to fight them, you could loose your life." Sakura smiled, "But Sasuke, you're telling me this because you care about me!" Sakura's face was pink, she was smiling ear to ear. "I, uh, guess that's true." Sasuke nodded, a light blush on his face. "Ha, ha! Two sweethearts. How touching." The rain ninja chucked from behind, "Get lost, unless you want to die." Sasuke kept his back turned to him. "Talk is cheap, ha!" The rain ninja jumped up, throwing down shuriken at Sasuke. He quickly turned around, batting them all away with his kunai. Sasuke ran towards him, "Now I'm really mad!" He shouted, "Careful, Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, watching him intently. The rain ninja threw down a large paper parcel, "No way!" Sasuke shouted, throwing his kunai up at it. The parcel exploded into sharp wooden spikes, they rained down on him. "Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, he was on the ground, unmoving. "Sasuke? Sasuke!" She screamed, running over to him, covering her mouth.

I sent a flying kick to the side of his face, the ninja went tumbling on the ground. "You picked a fight with the wrong kid!" I grinned, looking down at him on the floor. In a puff of smoke, the rain ninja turned into a log, I gasped as I felt the cold blade of his kunai press up against my throat. "Oh, did I?" His voice called out from behind me, I grinned. "Yeah, you did." My clone slowly broke down back into dirt, as I held my own kunai against his throat, he gritted his teeth.

"Don't just stand there like a fool! Hurry up and get the scroll!" The rain ninja shouted at Naruto, "Oh, yeah right. And what happens if I say no?" Naruto huffed. "Then I guess you don't care what happens to this girl!" The rain ninja called out, "What girl? All I see are two dummies, you, and the one next to you made of straw!" Naruto grinned, the rain ninja quickly turned his head back to the tree. "What? Where'd she go?!" The rain ninja gasped, "Huh?!" He looked up in the tree, Naruto stood there, Moegi by his side. "She's right here with the greatest ninja in the world!" Naruto grinned down at him from a high branch. "Yeah! That's you, boss! You're my hero!" Moegi giggled, the rain ninja raised his fist at him angrily. "A close jutsu?! I'll waste you, punk!" The rain ninja shouted up at him, about to jump up to get him. "You just don't know when you're out classed!" Naruto's clone shouted at him from behind, throwing a large fishing net over him. "Huh?!" The rain ninja gasped, struggling to get out of it. Naruto jumped on top of him, keeping the rain ninja down on the ground.  
"Hey, boss, we're here!" Konohamaru shouted, running towards Naruto with Udon by his side. "Yeah? Well, it's about time, you guys!" Naruto grinned, looking back at them. "Konohamaru! I was really scared!" Moegi sniffled, running towards him, she threw her short arms around him. "Okay, it's alright." Konohamaru smiled, she was sniffling. "Did you catch him, boss? Can we see him?" Udon asked, looking over at Naruto with wide eyes. "Sure, he's right here-huh?!" Naruto gasped, looking down at the net, a large rock was inside of it instead of him. "Hey, he used the substitution jutsu on you!" Konohamaru exclaimed. "Copy cat! I used the same jutsu on him!" Naruto shouted, stomping his foot on the ground. "You let him get away, boss!" Konohamaru said angrily.

Sakura was on her knees, pretending to cry. She was whimpering. "Ha, he's finished!" The rain ninja chuckled, walking closer to her. "And that's how you'll end up if you take the chunin exams!" The rain ninja clenched his fists. "Oh, Sasuke!" Sakura mocked, looking over at him with a grin. "What?" The rain ninja looked down at her, confusion written on his face. "Ha! I'm no idiot! I saw right through that cheap genjutsu from the first moment!" Sakura pointed an accusing finger at him. "Sasuke inviting me out then suddenly acting like he's all worried about me? Yeah, like he's ever. That was a foolish mistake, you thought I'd fall for that?" Sakura put her hands on her hips, "Are you calling me a fool?" The rain ninja grunted angrily. "I would if you were actually here, but you're just an illusion! The real ninja ran away, like a coward, so you're just the illusion of a coward!" Sakura shouted at him, he chuckled. "Are you sure I'm not real?" He laughed, throwing another paper parcel. Sakura sighed, easily waking through the image. "Yeah, I'm sure." Sakura grinned. "Ha. Just what I expect from a kunoichi trained by Kakashi, but the chunin exams will be more that just illusions!" The rain ninja disappeared, "You don't scare me! Illusion's or not, bring em on! The chunin exams!" Sakura shouted, shooting his fist up in the air with a sigh. "Oh, actually, I am really worried about them." Sakura slumped her shoulders down.

"(Y/N)," A voice called out from behind me, I snapped my head around, keeping the kunai steady. "Sasuke? What are you doing here? It's not safe!" I shouted at him, he raised his brow. "What do you mean? And why are you holding that kunai in the air like that?" He asked, walking closer to me. "Huh?!" I looked back where the rain ninja should be but... **he disappeared!** "What?! Where'd he go?!" I jumped, looking around wildly. "Where did who go?" Sasuke asked, shaking his head. "I came here to see if you were okay, I got attacked by some rain ninja earlier, but they vanished before I could finish them." Sasuke looked over to me, I sighed. "I think we were both attacked by the same person, but why?" I shook my head, puffing out my cheeks as I turned to him.

It was late into the night, Kakashi was sitting alone on the rooftop of Iruka's house. The rain ninja appeared behind him. "So, how did it go?" Kakashi asked, looking out at the night sky. "They all made it. Your squad and the others. All the ten genin proved themselves ready for the exam." The rain ninja sighed, in a puff of smoke he turned back into his original self, Iruka. "You we're right, Kakashi, they're good. They've all developed impressive skills." Iruka looked down at the tiled room. _But the chunin exams could break any one, we'll see if they can tough it out._

The five days seemed to pass by quickly, and before I knew it, it was time for the exams. I stood waiting, Naruto and Sasuke by my side. Sakura was slowly walking over to the three of us. "Sakura! Hey, you're late." I waved at her, walking over with a smile. "Uh, right. Sorry guys." Sakura looked over at Sasuke. "Good morning, Sasuke." She said quietly, he ignored her. _What's up with Sakura? She seems...different._ I wondered

"Gah!" A boy gasped, falling back onto the wooden floors. "You're taking the chunin exams, but you can't even get past us?" Kotetsu grinned, looking down at the boy on the floor. "Why don't you just give up now before you get hurt?" Izumo asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I think I hear your mommy calling you." Kotetsu chuckled. "Please let us through, we're supposed to go in there!" A short girl with two small buns on her head called out, worry etched onto her face. She ran over to him, Kotetsu slapped her down. "Man, that's harsh..." Some one called out from the crowd. "Did you say harsh? Don't kid yourself. We're being nice in comparison. The exams are going to make this look like a picnic." Kotetsu crossed his arms, his high pitched voice echoed around the room. "Some of you won't survive the exams, others will be wreaked for life, and some of you may go crazy. For chunin, it's always life or death." Izumo called out to the crowd, the four of us walked in. "You think it's a joke? Chunin are qualified to lead missions. The lives of your squad members are in your hands, so you better be tough enough to take the heat. Delicate little girls don't belong here." Kotetsu looked down at the girl on the floor. "We're just thinning out the herd. You won't pass anyway, so go home and play with your dolls." Izumo grinned.

"Nice speech. Now, both of you step aside and let us through." Sasuke stepped towards them, I nodded. "And while you're at it, reverse the genjutsu. We can see through your illusion anyway. We're going to the third floor." I called out from behind Sasuke, my arms crossed. "What do they mean? We're on the third floor." Hushed mumbled erupted from the crowd. "Well, well." Kotetsu leaned closer to me. "So, you noticed the genjutsu, huh?" Izumo rubbed his chin. "Go ahead, tell these punks Sakura, I'm sure you saw it before any one else did." I smiled, looking back at her. "Huh?" She looked over at me, her pink hair moved. "You have the sharpest eyes and the best analytical skills on the squad, you must of seen this coming from a mile away!" I grinned. "I must have?" Sakura blinked. "Well, sure! Of course. I spotted it right away! This is only the second floor." Sakura smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "Right!" Naruto nodded, a goofy grin painted on his face. "Ha, well, aren't you the smart ones? So, you noticed and illusion, tch, now lets see you deal with this!" Kotetsu shouted, sending a kick flying towards Sasuke, Sasuke threw his own kick around. I jumped. In a flash, the boy before was in between them, holding their legs in the air. _H-How did he do that?! I thought he was some weakling, getting knocked around like that. But he's as fast as Sasuke!_ My eyes widened. Kotetsu jumped away, the boy let out a sigh of relief. _He stopped my kick, that's some chakra he's got in his arm._ Sasuke stared at him cautiously. "Hey, what happened to the plan? I thought you were the one who said to keep a low profile!" Another boy stomped out to him, but they looked nothing alike. _He must be a part of the Hyuga clan,_ I thought, looking at his milky white eyes. "I know, but-" The boy looked at me, pink on his face. My eyes widened as I looked at him. Shiny black hair in a bowl cut, a large green jump suit with bandages covering his arms and...those eyebrows. "Never mind. It's over, forget it." The girl with the buns sighed, shaking her head. The boy walked over to me, Sasuke squinted his eyes. "My name is Rock Lee, what is yours?" Lee asked, I looked up at him, rubbing the back of my neck. "O-Oh, my name's (Y/N)!" I stuttered, _get ahold of yourself!_ I gulped. "Please be mine!" He smiled, his face pink as he gave me the thumbs up. "I vow to protect you with my life!" He smiled from ear to ear. _Yuck! There's no way (Y/N) would fall for a weirdo like that-_ Sakura thought with her arms crossed, looking over at me, "What?!" She exclaimed. My entire face was red, my heart pounding in my chest. _H-He's so h-handsome!_ "Y-Y-!" Sasuke jumped in between us, his eyes beaming down at Lee. "Don't even think about it." Sasuke gritted his teeth, "Huh?" Lee clenched his fists, looking at Sasuke angrily. "(Y/N) want's nothing to do with you, end of story." Sasuke's voice changed to a harsh, bitter tone, a shiver ran down my spine. "H-Hey, that's-" I put my arm on Sasuke's shoulder, he turned his head around to me, staring directly in my eyes. "What the heck's your problem, Sasuke?" Naruto stomped towards us, his fists clenched. "Step out of this, loser." Sasuke looked over at Naruto, Naruto growled. "H-Hey! Naruto, Sasuke, (Y/N), come on." Sakura walked closer to us, breaking Naruto and Sasuke's stare. I looked down at the floor, _what had gotten into Sasuke?_ I sighed.

"Heh, so that's the bunch of misfits that Kakashi and Guy have been going on about." Izumo watched as the four of us waked away, I whispered a quick bye to Lee as I passed him. "I guess they passed their first test, getting their applications through." Izumo nodded. "Right." Kotetsu agreed, in a puff of smoke the changed back into their regular adult selves. "It looks like the exams are going to be fun this year." Kotetsu grinned, looking through a crack in the supply room door. "Yeah, for us. But maybe not for them." Izumo chuckled.


	22. Chunin Challenge, Rock Lee VS Sasuke

"Come on!" Sakura said, pulling Naruto and Sasuke away, I followed close behind. "Okay! You don't have to pull my arm out!" Naruto whined. _Sasuke, of the Uchiha clan._ Neji watched as Sakura pulled Sasuke away. "He's pretty bold..." Tenten put her hand on her hip. "Hm." Neji and Tenten walked past Lee. "Huh?" Tenten turned around, "Lee? What are you waiting for? We're supposed to check in." Tenten asked. "I will catch up with you in a minute. You do not need to wait for me." Lee clenched his fists, Tenten shrugged her shoulders. "I bet it's about that guy with the black hair," Tenten whispered to Neji. "I suppose so..." Neji answered, walking down the hall.

"Hey you, with the attitude! Hold on!" Lee called out from behind, I turned around lightning fast with a smile, Sasuke squinted his eyes at him. "What do _you_ want?" Sasuke grunted, seriously ticked off. "I want to fight, right here and right now!" Lee shouted, his voice bouncing around the room. "You want to fight right here and now, huh?" Sasuke clenched his fists, Lee jumped down in front of us. "Sasuke Uchiha," Lee began, "I challenge you!" My eyes widened. "Every one is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how great they are, I doubt any of it is true!" Lee raised his fists, Sasuke was shaking with anger. "And also..." Lee turned to me, "Huh?" My face turned pink. "Oh, (Y/N)! I love you!" Lee's face was red, I touched the side of my face, I couldn't stop blushing, "HUH?!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fists. _H-He's so romantic!_ I cooed, trying my best to hide my face behind my hands, I was completely red. Sakura shivered in disgust. "You are an angel sent from heaven!" Lee winked, blowing a kiss my way, I felt my heart skip a beat, Naruto pulled my arm closer to him, "Yeah, right! (Y/N) doesn't belong to a weirdo like you!" Naruto shouted, pointing at him. "That was a good move, but let me see you dodge this!" Lee exclaimed, blowing kiss after kiss in my direction, I closed my eyes, taking my hands off of my face. "Gah!" Naruto gasped, pulling my to his chest as he dodged them with me in his arms. "N-Naruto!" I shouted, struggling to break out of his arms. "Hey! Keep your creepy little valentines to yourself!" Naruto shouted furiously, I pouted, looking down at the ground.

"You've heard about the Uchiha clan, and yet you're challenging me. You must be more psycho than you look. If that's even possible. I'll teach you about my clan, the hard way." Sasuke was glaring daggers at Lee, "Bring it on." Lee kept one arm behind his back, his palm facing the ceiling. I gulped. "Hold on!" Naruto shouted, stomping his foot on the floor, Sasuke looked over at him, "I get him first. This weirdo is mine!" He stared at him, hatred burning in his chest. "Naruto!" I gasped, clenching my fists. "What? It'll take me two seconds to have this guy begging for mercy!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Lee from across the room. "No thank you. Right now the only one I want to fight is the Uchiha." Lee stated, keeping his eyes pinned on Sasuke. "Yeah?! Well, I've got news for you!" Naruto shouted, running towards him like a madman. "Sasuke can't compare to me, believe it!" Naruto shouted, sending a punch flying towards Lee. With a simple wave of his hand, he had Naruto down on the floor. Quickly, Naruto retaliated, spinning around on his hands as he tried to send a kick Lee's way, Lee dodged it, twirling Naruto around as he sent him flying into a wall. My eyed widened, Naruto was shocked solid. "Just accept it. You have no chance against me. Your skills are inferior." Lee said, not bothering to turn back to Naruto, I shook my head. _N-No! I've got to stop this!_ I clenched my fists. "Please! Sasuke, let's just forget about this fight! There's no reason for it, let's just go back!" I exclaimed, turning to him with my fists clenched. "I don't want any one to get hurt! Can't we just put this scuffle past us?" I asked, taking a step closer to him. "(Y/N)..." Sasuke called out, my eyes widened. "You talk way too much." Sasuke turned his head away from me. Sakura gasped. "There's no time, Sasuke!" Sakura looked over at the clock. "We've got to register by three, that's less than half an hour!" Sakura was by my side. "Relax. This'll be over," Sasuke turned his head back to Lee. "In five seconds."

Sasuke ran towards Lee, his fists clenched. _Here he comes. Forgive me, Guy-sensei. I know it is forbidden, but I may have to break the rules and use that jutsu!_ Sasuke sent a punch in his direction, "Huh?" He gasped, Lee was gone in a flash. Sasuke quickly turned back around, "Leaf Hurricane!" Lee shouted, sending down a flying kick from above, Sasuke dodged it just in time. Lee twisted around in the air. _I'm not moving fast enough! I've got to block him!_ Sasuke glared at Lee while he was trying his best to dodge him, _what?_ His eyes widened as he saw Lee make a hand sign, but it was only a distraction as Lee **kicked him in the face!**

Sasuke went tumbling down to the floor, "Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, a terrified look on her face. Sasuke grunted as he climbed back up on his feet. _He had his guard up and Lee went right through it!_ I watched them intently. _He's using some technique to get to me, but what is it? A ninjutsu or a genjutsu?_ Sasuke glared at Lee from the corner of his eye. _As I expected, he is coming back for more._ Lee watched Sasuke climb back up to him feet. _Hm, okay. This is good._ Sasuke wiped a drop of blood off of his chin. _Got him right where I want him. Now's my chance._ Sasuke grinned, a shadow growing over his eyes. "I've been waiting to try this out." Sasuke called out, I gasped. _C-Could it be? The sharingan!_ I looked over at Sasuke, his eyes glowing red. I shook my head, _n-no! Sasuke, even with the sharingan, there's no way you could beat Lee!_ I gritted my teeth. _So, that is the sharingan._ Lee waited. _You'll never know what Sasuke will do next, he's amazing!_ Sakura blushed, clasping her hands together. _It's like Kakashi-sensei's sharingan! He'll be able to read this weirdo's jutsu and nail him!_ Sakura smiled.

 _Genjutsu or ninjutsu, whatever he's using, I'll see it now._ Sasuke locked his eyes on Lee, gritting his teeth as he dashed towards him again. _Lee! Please, don't hurt him!_ I covered my face with my hands. _Sasuke's getting stronger every day!_ Sakura watched him with gleaming eyes. _Just what you'd expect from an Uchiha! Sasuke could never lose to a guy like this! No way!_ Sakura watched with a smile. Lee sent Sasuke flying back with a strong kick to the chest, _what?!_ Sakura watched, a horrified look on her face. _He got around my guard! But how?! What kind of jutsu is that?!_ Sasuke glared down at him, anger etched on his features. "You see, my technique is not ninjutsu or genjutsu." Lee explained, running towards Sasuke. Naruto groaned, holding his head as he slowly opened his eyes. _Sasuke?_ Naruto watched them fight, Lee elbowed Sasuke in the stomach, he stumbled back, holding onto it tightly. "Do you get it now? I am using taijutsu. That means no tricks, Sasuke." Lee appeared behind him in a blink of an eye. "It is just straight martial arts, nothing more." "Why you-!" Sasuke seethed, flying his elbow behind him, Lee dodged it with ease. "I know your technique. Forget it. It will not work, not on me. I know you can see through your opponents jutsu. The sharingan gives you the ability to see your opponents chakra, and decipher his hand signs and movements. You can guess what he's going to do almost before he knows himself." Lee glared at Sasuke, I kept my head down. "The problem is taijutsu is a little bit different." Lee kept his palm facing up, his body entirely still. "Right, so whats your point?" Sasuke grunted, "I do not try to disguise my moves. I do not have to. Even if you can read them, you still can not stop them. You are too slow." Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Your eyes may be quick enough to stay one step ahead of me, but if your body can not keep up, what good does it do you?" Lee asked, Sasuke was shaking with anger. "You know what? Here is what I believe. There are two different kinds of ninja, those like you who are born with talent and do not have to work at it," Sasuke ran towards him, "and those like me, the ones who have to train every day of their lives!" Lee dodged Sasuke's futile punch, "Fact is, your sharingan is the worst match for my extreme taijutsu! Here is what I mean!" _I have to stop him!_ Sasuke raised his arms, but it was pointless, Lee kicked him up into the air again. Instantly he appeared behind Sasuke. "Dancing leaf shadow." Lee called out. Sasuke was glaring at Lee behind him. "Good eye, now I will prove my point!" Lee exclaimed, the bandages wrapped around his arms starting to come undone. "That hard work beats out natural talent." Sasuke's eyes widened. _What's his next move?!_ Sasuke was frozen. "You're finished-!" A pinwheel came flying out of no where, pinning Lee's bandages to the wall. "Alright, that's enough Lee!" A voice called out from the side of the room, I gasped as I watched Sasuke start to fall to the floor! "Sasuke!" I shouted, skidding on my knees as he fell into my lap.

 _He totally beat Sasuke!_ _Something happened when I was knocked out! What'd he do?!_ Naruto glared at us from across the room. Sasuke was balancing on his knees, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. "Are you okay? Sasuke! I swear, if I ever see you fight Lee again!" I growled angrily, he kept his head down.

"Y-You were watching us the entire time?" Lee asked, he was knelt down on the floor, looking down at the ground. "Of course! That last technique is forbidden, you know that!" A large red tortoise called out angrily, Naruto watched with wide eyes. _He's talking to a turtle...and it's talking back...am I still asleep?_ Naruto scratched his head. "I am sorry. I did not mean to..." Lee kept his head down. _Now he's apologizing to the turtle...wait a minute, could that be his sensei?_ "Gah!" Lee jumped up on his feet. "I-I was not planning to use the forbidden jutsu! It was just, I was in the middle of a fight, and I mean, you understand!" Lee exclaimed, his arms in the air. "I'm right! It really is his sensei!" Naruto called out, climbing up to his feet. "Huh?" I looked over at Lee. "Hey, you guys!" Naruto shouted, running towards me and Sasuke. "What is it, Naruto?" I asked, looking up at him. "That weird thing he's talking to is a turtle, right?" Naruto asked, "Obviously! What did you think it is?" I sighed, shaking my head. "Okay then, so maybe it means that turtles can be sensei's too!" Naruto tilted his head as he pointed at it. "N-No, Naruto, that's not..." I face palmed, "Huh?" Naruto scratched the top of his head, confused.

"You're a disgrace!" The turtle shouted, Lee kept his head down. "You think you'll get away with a bunch of lame excuses like that?! A shinobi never reveals his techniques unless it's absolutely necessary! It's such a basic rule, you should know it by now!" The turtle shook it's head, lecturing Lee. "Forgive me sir..." Lee called out, his voice hushed. Sasuke rubbed the side of his face, _how could I lose to that freak?!_ Sasuke growled furiously, staring daggers at Lee. "Are you prepared to take the punishment of your actions?!" The turtle shouted furiously. "I...yes sir." Lee closed his eyes. "Alright then! Please come out, Guy-sensei!" In a puff of smoke, a man was standing on top of the tortoise. "Hey! What's shakin'? How you doing, everybody? Life treating you good?" " **GAH!** " The four of us looked at him, out mouths wide open with shock. "H-He's got the biggest eyebrows yet! They're almost alive!" Naruto shouted, "Hi kids!" He grinned, his teeth sparkling. "Too weird!" Sakura gasped. "So that's where Lee get's his handsomeness from!" I clasped my hands together, pink rising to my face. "Yuck! He's even weirder than Lee is!" Naruto shook his head, Lee turned around with his fist raised. "Hey! Do not insult Guy-sensei! He is one of the greatest men in the world!" Lee shouted, "Well, excuse me for not noticing his greatness! I was too busy watching him crawl out from underneath a turtle!" Naruto shouted back, I nodded, "I know! It was so cool!" I gasped, Lee smiled. "See? It was super cool!" Lee nodded, "Give it a rest, Lee." Guy waved, Lee turned back around. "Yes sir." Lee looked down at the floor. "Now, for your punishment!" Guy clenched his fist, smacking Lee in the side of his face, "You little fool!" Guy shouted, Lee went tumbling to the ground, I gasped. Guy knelt down to him.

"I'm sorry, Lee. But it is for your own good." Tears were running like a river down Guy's face, Lee looked up at him, tears running down his own face. "Oh, Lee..." Guy sniffled. "Oh, sensei! I am so sorry!" Lee cried out, sniffling. "All right, it's over. You don't need to say any more." Guy's shoulders shook. "Sensei!" Lee exclaimed, jumping into his arms in a great hug. "Lee!" They sobbed together. _How could I lose to some one that lame?!_ Sasuke clenched his fists, I sniffled, trying my best to hold back tears. "It's okay, it's okay, it's only a phase." Guy hugged Lee closer to his chest. "I am so sorry, sensei!" Lee shuddered. "T-That's so sweet." I wiped a tear from my eye. "Huh?! You've got to be kidding me! They're both totally crazy!" Sakura shouted, pointing an accusing finger at me.

"You're just caught in between." Guy place a hand on Lee's shoulder. "You're too old to be called a boy and yet not quite a man." Guy smiled down at him, tears still sliding down his face. "You are so good to me, Guy-sensei." Lee sniffled. "Now, take off! I want you to give me a hundred laps around the practice field! Show me what you've got!" Guy pointed out side, his other hand on his hip. "Yes, sir! No problem!" Lee clenched his fists. "Now, run into the setting sun! Run and suffer! But don't mess up your hair." Guy smiled down at him, his teeth glistening. "Right!" Lee smiled back, wiping tears away from his eyes. "Let us go!" Guy started walking, Lee close to his side. "Hey, wait a minute! We're not finished here! You guys just can't take off like that!" Naruto shouted at them, clenching his fists. "I'm sorry, but Naruto is right. What about the chunin exams?" I called out, wiping tears off of my face. "Uh, oh, right, I forgot about that." Guy cleared his throat, turning back to Lee. "Lee, you not only disobeyed the rule against fighting, but you've disrupted the chunin exams! I think that warrants a slightly more severe punishment, don't you?" Guy placed his hands on his hips sternly. "Yes sir!" Lee nodded. "Let's say five hundred laps! How does that sound?" Guy asked. "Outstanding, sir!" Lee nodded.

"They're insane." Sakura slumped her shoulders. "Probably, but never mind them. What's the deal with that turtle, anyway?" Naruto asked, pointing at it. _Hm. This must be Kakashi's squad. I'll check em out._ Guy looked over at the four of us. "Gah! No! He's looking at us!" Sakura screeched, shivers running down her spine. "Tell me, how is Kakashi?" Guy asked with a smile. "Do you know him?" I asked, looking up at him curiously. "Do I know Kakashi?" Guy chuckled, holding his chin. "Well, people say, he and I are arch-rivals for all eternity!" Guy grinned down at us. "There's no way!" Naruto shouted. "How dare you! If Guy-sensei says that is true, then-" "Let it slide, Lee. A ninja's actions speak louder than his words." Guy grinned, "Hm?" In an instant Guy was gone, "Ah!" I jumped slightly. "My record is fifty wins, and forty nine loses, which is one better than his, by the way." Guy called out from behind me, I spun around on my heel. "Wow! That's amazing! I thought no one could beat Kakashi-sensei!" I smiled up at him, "No way, no one can beat Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shook his head. "The fact is I am stronger than Kakashi! And faster!" Guy pointed his thumb at him self, his teeth glistening. "So cool!" I gasped. _His speed is incredible, he's defiantly faster than Kakashi! Is he even human?_ Sasuke looked up at him. "You see? Guy-sensei is the best there is!" Lee smiled at me, "I'm sorry for the trouble Lee caused you. Look into my eyes and accept my sincere apology." Guy gave us all the thumbs up. "Also notice my handsome manly features." Guy grinned. _He claims he's better than Kakashi, could that be true? Aargh! I don't think he's making this up!_ Sasuke was furious. "Lee, you should accompany these fine young ninja to the classroom. Right...now!" Guy exclaimed, watching as the pinwheel fell out of the wall. Lee grabbed his bandages. _His hands!_ My eyes widened as I watched him wrap his scratched arm back up. "Remember, give it your best! Lee, farewell!" Guy nodded, disappearing in the blink of an eye. "Wow!" Naruto exclaimed, looking behind him. "Yes sir!" Lee nodded.

"Hey, Sasuke." Lee called out, Sasuke looked back at him, his eyes burning furiously. "Actually, I have not been totally honest with you. I said I wanted to test my skills, and that is true enough. But you are not really the one I wanted to test them against. There is another top ninja, some one on my own team. I came here to defeat him. You were just practice. Now you are a target. I will crush you!" Lee exclaimed, Sasuke was shaking with anger. "So cool!" I squealed, holding the sides of my face. "There you have it. Consider yourself warned." Lee walked over to me, his face pink. "Bye (Y/N)!" He smiled, jumping out of the room.

"Sasuke?" Sakura called out to him. "Huh, how about that? Look's like the Uchihas aren't as great as every body thinks they are." Naruto shrugged, his hands behind his head. "Naruto!" Sakura shouted, raising her fist. "Just shut up! Next time I'll drive him to his knees!" Sasuke grunted furiously. "Yeah, right. Who just got his butt kicked?" Naruto turned his head away. "Stop it! What are you saying?! Just cut it out, Naruto!" Sakura screamed. Sasuke glared at him. "You saw his hands, didn't you? When he took off the bandages? I bet old bushy brow's been training until he drops, day in and day out. Or at least, he trains harder than you." Naruto looked up at the ceiling. "That's all I'm saying." Naruto shrugged, Sasuke clenched his fists, turning his back on us. _Sasuke?_ I wondered, looking over at him. "Fine." He called out. "Hm?" Naruto looked over at him. "This thing's starting to get interesting." Sasuke grinned. "The chunin exams, can't wait to see whats next." Sasuke looked up. "Right!" I grinned, taking a step closer to him, Sakura smiled. "Let's get started. Naruto, (Y/N), Sakura!" Sasuke called out. "Yeah!" Naruto grinned, clenching his fist as the four of us started to walk out of the room.


	23. Genin Take Down! All Ten Rookies!

The four of us stood in the hallway, Kakashi stood in front of two large doors. "Glad you came, Sakura, for your sake and the others." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "Huh?" I raised my brow. "Now, you all can formally register for the chunin exams." Kakashi nodded. "Why? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, her pink hair swaying. "You see, only groups of three are allowed to apply for and take the exam, of course an exception had been made this year. Luckily you aren't the only team of four." Kakashi sighed, looking out the window. "But, sensei, you said the decision to take the exam was up to the individual." Sakura put her hands on her hips. "That's right, I did." Kakashi nodded. "Was that a lie?" She asked. "Sort of. It is an individual decision, but it affects all of you. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want the other guys pressuring you." Kakashi explained, I nodded my head. "At the same time, I didn't want you feeling obliged to participate, because of any feelings you might have for the rest of the group. I wanted you to come to a decision of your own free will." Kakashi turned his head back towards us. "Wait a minute. Do you mean if the others showed up but I decided to not come with them-" "Well, not exactly. The three of them could of gone with out you, but then the other team of four would have also been forced to get rid of a member. But it's a moot point. You're all here, and for the right reasons. Sakura, Naruto, (Y/N), and Sasuke. I'm proud of you." Kakashi smiled at all of us, "I couldn't ask for a better team. Good luck." Kakashi nodded, stepping out of the way. "We won't let you down, sensei! Believe it!" Naruto grinned, the four of us entered the doors, leaving Kakashi in the hall way.

"Wha-what's this?" Naruto gulped, looking around the room. "Gee, guess we're not alone." I grinned, the room was full of people. _Man, I had no clue there would be so much competition._ Sakura looked around, her eyes widening. There were people, all ages, shapes, and sizes sprawn out through the room. _If being scary looking was one of the tests, they've got me beat!_ Sakura gulped. "Sasuke, where have you been~?" I heard a girly voice call out, I looked behind me. Ino threw her self around Sasuke's shoulders, pure disgust was drawn on his face. "Boy, you have no idea how much I was hoping you'd show up here!" She smiled, I started to laugh. "Man, if only I had a camera!" I snickered. "Hey, you porker! Back off! He's mine!" Sakura hissed, pointing her finger accusingly at Ino. "Miss forehead! They let you in? Still got those big frown lines on your billboard brow, I see." Ino grinned. "Leave my forehead out of it!" Sakura shouted, Ino stuck her tongue out at Sakura. "Oh, it's you guys." Shikamaru sighed, him and Choji walked towards us. "Hey guys! What's up?" I asked, taking a step closer to them. Choji was stuffing his face full of chips. "Oh...the usual." Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh. "I knew this was going to be a drag, but I didn't know it was going to be this lame." He shrugged. "So, all the three stooges are here, huh?" Naruto grinned, resting his arm on my shoulder. "Hey, you know what, pipsqueak?!" Shikamaru seethed, "Ah, forget it. You're a waste of time." Shikamaru looked away. "Well, well. What'd you know? Looks like the whole gangs back together again." Kiba grinned, Akamaru laying on the top of his head. "Oh, hi (Y/N)." Hinata blushed, "Hm?" I looked over to her, she gulped, her face completely red. "Ha, well, I guess so!" I rubbed the back of my neck, turning back to Kiba. "Man, every one's here for this stupid thing." Shikamaru sighed again. "Yep, here we all are. The ten rookies." Kiba chuckled, "This is gonna be fun! At least, for the one's good enough to make the cut." Kiba grinned, eyeing Sasuke head to toe. "Right, Sasuke?" He asked. "Kiba, careful you don't get overconfident." Sasuke grinned, his hands in his pockets. "Just you wait, we're going to blow you away. We've been training like crazy!" Kiba grinned. "What do you think we've been doing? Sitting around, picking daisies? You don't know what training means!" I shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Uh, don't mind Kiba. I'm sure he didn't really mean anything by it." Hinata stuttered, "Huh?" I looked over at her, her face flared red again.

 _Akamaru's looking plumper...juicier..._ Choji looked at him, his mouth watering as he took a step closer to Kiba, Shino blocked him. "What do you want?" Choji squinted his eyes, looking up at Shino. "What's wrong?" Shino whispered, looking at the floor. A tiny beetle crawled over to him. "Thought maybe you hadn't seen it." Shino called out. "Huh?" Choji tilted his head. "Didn't want you stepping on it." Shino looked down at him. "Why, you saving it for lunch?" Choji snorted, I flicked him in the side of his head. "Ow!" He cried, I grinned as I looked over at him.

"Hey, you guys," A voice called out. "Hm?" I looked over at a guy walking our way, large circle glasses hung on his face. "You might wanna try keeping it down a little. I mean, no offense, but you're the ten rookies, right? Fresh out of the academy?" He called out, putting his hands on his hips. "I wouldn't go making a spectacle out of yourselves. Just cool it. This isn't a class field trip." He grinned, looking over at me. "Well, who asked you? Who are you?" I took a step closer, squinting my eyes as I looked at him. "I'm Kabuto Yakushi. But really, look around you. You'd made quite the impression." He grinned over at me, "Huh?" I looked around the room, all eyes were on us, staring. I turned around, they were staring directly at us. "See those guys? They're from the rain village, very touchy. They all are. This exam makes every one tense, and you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now." Kabuto explained. "Hm..." I turned around to him, my arms crossed. "You can't help it. I mean, how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You remind me of my self a while back." Kabuto smiled, Sakura took a step closer. "Kabuto, is that your name?" She asked. "Yeah." He nodded. "This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?" She tilted her head, he looked up at the ceiling. "No...it's my seventh." Kabuto rubbed the back of his neck with a smile. "Huh?" Shikamaru looked at him. "Well, they're held twice a year. So, this would be my fourth year." Kabuto nodded. "Wow, a veteran. You must really be an expert by now." Sakura smiled, "Yeah, sort of." He laughed. I shot my head up. "Cool! You can give us all the inside tips!" I grinned up at him. "Yeah, some expert. He's never passed." Shikamaru huffed. "Well, seventh times the charm, that's what they say, huh?" Kabuto chuckled nervously. "So, I guess all of those rumors about the exam being tough are true. Oh man, I knew this was gonna be a drag..." Shikamaru sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Hang on, don't give up hope yet, maybe I can help out you kids a little," Kabuto dug in his pocket, "With my ninja info cards." He grinned, a pile of bright orange cards in his hand, I tilted my head to the side. "What the heck are those?" I asked, watching him intently. "It's hard to explain, but these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years." Kabuto nodded, his glasses shining in the bright over head lights as he knelt down on the ground. "I've got more than two hundred of them," He placed them on the floor, I looked down at them. "So you see, I haven't been completely wasting my time. That may not look like much to the naked eye," Kabuto mentioned the cards. "In fact, they appear blank." He flipped one over to prove his point, I crouched down on my knees, Naruto and Sakura peering over my shoulders. "Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff." Kabuto explained, putting his index finger on the card, he spun it around on the floor. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked, tilting her head. Some of her pink hair fell on my shoulder. "Hm..." Naruto squinted his eyes, looking closer, Shikamaru leaned over next to me, Sasuke crossed his arms. "You see, I'm using my chakra to reveal their secrets, like this, for example." Kabuto smiled down at the card, a image of the world map appeared on it, "Awesome, a map!" I smiled, Shikamaru sighed. "You're way too easily entertained..." He huffed. "What's the map of?" Ino asked, putting her hands on her knees as she bent down.

"It shows the geographical distribution of all the candidates who have come to take the exam. What villages they come from, and how many from each village." Kabuto explained, looking up at all of us. "Why do you think they all come here to take the exam together, at the same time?" Kabuto asked us all, silence fell into the room. The only sound I could hear was Choji's munching. _"_ It's to foster friendship between nations, of course. International brotherhood, and all that. And it's true enough, as far as it goes." Kabuto shrugged, looking around at us. "But there's another reason." Sasuke looked down at him. "Yeah. You see, the important thing is that this way, they can carefully regulate the total number of shinobi that end up in each village, thereby maintaining the balance of power." Kabuto nodded, Naruto tilted his head to the side. "O-Oh, yeah, balance of power?" Naruto gulped, a confused look crossed his face. "Balance of power? Big deal. It's all a drag..." Shikamaru scoffed, the image on the card slowly faded away. "If the balance isn't maintained, one nation could end up with many more shinobi than it's neighbors and attempt to attack them. So, they try to maintain the status quo." Kabuto held up his index finger, "Make sense, I suppose." I nodded, Sasuke took a step forward. "Do those cards of yours have any info on the other candidates, individually?" Sasuke asked, looking down at the stack. "They might. You have a special some one in mind?" Kabuto asked, Sasuke squinted his eyes as he looked down at him. "I might." He clenched his fists. "I can't promise my information is complete or perfect, but I've got something on just about everyone, including you guys, of course." Kabuto grinned, looking over at me. He shrugged. "So, which one is it? Tell my anything you want to know about them. A description, where they're from, whatever. Anything at all." Kabuto held up a card, it's orange back facing us. "He's Gaara, from the desert." Sasuke said slowly, his hands shaking with anger. I cupped my hand to the side of my face, "And, uh, Kabuto? Do you know...Rock Lee?" I whispered to him, pink flashing on my face, Sasuke eyed me suspiciously. "Man, that's no fun, you already know their names." Kabuto huffed, digging around in his deck of cards. "That makes it easy." Kabuto shrugged. Choji burped, "Nice one." I grinned, looking up at him, he smiled back, digging into a new bag.

"Here they are." Kabuto smiled, holding two cards between his thumb and ring finger. "Show them to me." Sasuke's eyes were beaming down at him. Naruto looked at Sasuke, then the cards, the me, nodding his head up and down. _I haven't a clue what is going on here, but I'll act like I do!_ Naruto gulped, continuing to nod his head. "Alright, first up, Rock Lee." Kabuto nodded, "Hm?" Sasuke looked over at me, _whats the big deal about this weirdo any way? Why does (Y/N) want to know about him?_ Sasuke huffed, turning his head away. I giggled as I looked down at the card. "Looks like he's about a year older than you guys. Mission experience, eleven C ranks, twenty D ranks. His squad leader is Guy. In the last twelve months, his taijutsu has radically improved, but his other skills are pretty shaky. Last year, he got a lot of attention as a genin, but for some reason, he chose not to participate in the exam. This will be his first time as a candidate, same as for you guys." Kabuto explained, I looked down at the card with a smile. _His pictures so adorable!_ I touched the sides of my face, heat rising to my cheeks. "His team mates are Tenten and Neji Hyuga." Kabuto continued, Hinata took a tiny step closer. "Huh? Hyuga?" Naruto tilted his head, trying to remember where he had heard that name before.

"Okay, now for Gaara, of the desert." Kabuto pulled out another card, spinning it like he did the first. _Hm, that Gaara guy was pretty interesting. But there was something...off in his eyes._ I thought, peering down at the card. Sasuke knelt to the floor. "Mission experience, eight C ranks, and get this, one B rank as a genin. There's not a lot more information about this guy. He was a rookie from another land, originally, but there it is." Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "He survived every mission with out getting a scratch on him." Kabuto looked up at us. "The dude's done a B rank as a genin, and has never been injured?" Shikamaru looked down at the card, "What's the deal with this guy?" Naruto asked, "Yeah, and why doesn't he have eyebrows?" I wondered, rubbing my chin. Sasuke glared down at the card.

Kabuto pulled out another card from the deck, placing it on top of Gaara's. The map showed again. "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound. From the looks of it, they've all sent exceptionally skilled candidates to the exam this time around. Of course, the Hidden Sound Village is small. It sprang up recently. No one knows anything about it, those guys are a mystery." Kabuto shrugged, picking his cards back up. "Well, you get the point. The competition's going to be intense this year." Kabuto sighed, "S-So it would seem..." Hinata whispered worriedly, "It's almost enough to make you loose your confidence." She sighed, "It's a fine time to start talking like that!" Ino shouted at her, "Do you really think it's going to be tougher this time?" Sakura asked Kabuto, worry etching onto her features. "Oh, yeah. In the four years I've been coming, I've never seen a crop of candidates with as much potential as this bunch." Kabuto nodded, "Mmm..." Naruto crossed his arms, "Yep. We've got our work cut out for us." Kabuto sighed.

Kakashi was standing out side the door, he heard silent muffles coming from inside of it. " _I can't go along with this! They may be under your care now, Kakashi, but I know these kids! They were my students, I trained them! I don't know what you're trying to prove with this, but-" Iruka shouted, Guy cut him off. "You know, he may be right, Kakashi. You're putting a lot of pressure on them. Why so impatient?" Guy asked, his hands on his hips. "I held my team back for a year, so they could hone their skills and mature. Let them enjoy their youth a little longer." Guy nodded, "Your concern is touching. You sure it's not just because you know your guys don't stand a chance against mine?" Kakashi asked, his hands in his pockets, Guy was staring daggers at him. "Alright, alright, that's enough. The matter of the rookies' participation is closed. Now, as for the other genin, I'm ready to consider your recommendations." Lord Hokage called out, Kakashi looked up at the ceiling. "I know what I'm doing. You'll see." Kakashi whispered to Guy, Guy stared at him._

 _I wish I was as sure as I sounded, I wonder how they're doing...even Naruto must be a little scared. (Y/N)...good luck._

 _Okay, so we're just rookies, and most of these guys are older and more experienced than we are. N-No big deal. It's okay to be a little scared! I can handle it._ Sakura thought to her self, Naruto was shaking. I looked over at him. _But it would be a whole lot easier if I didn't have to watch Naruto falling apart right in front of me!_ Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Are you okay?" I whispered to Naruto, standing back up. _Nothing usually gets to him, maybe I can try to cheer him up!_ I smiled. "Hey, don't worry, Naruto we'll be fine-!" I began, "Gaaah!" Naruto shouted, raising his index finger in the air with a wide grin, his other hand on his hip as he pointed to the huge crowd. " **My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna beat every one of you! Believe it!** " Naruto shouted to everyone in the room, I grinned. "Yeah!" I smiled, punching my fists in the air.

"Hey! What are those idiots trying to do?! Get us killed?!" Ino screamed, _I should of known. They're not smart enough to be afraid._ Sakura sighed, looking down at the ground. "Tell your boyfriend to keep his big fat trap shut!" Ino shouted at Sakura, getting in her face. "Whose boyfriend?!" Sakura shouted back, headbutting Ino. "Oh, sorry, I forgot you couldn't get one!" Ino screamed, "What'd you say?!" Sakura seethed. "Yeah! I feel a lot better now!" Naruto grinned, looking over at me. "You rock Naruto!" I laughed, softly punching him in the shoulder. "Hm..." Kabuto looked up at me with a smile.

"That's the same kid as before, isn't it?" Kankuro asked, looking across the room at me. "Hm?" Mikio turned around, "Huh?" He clenched his fists as he spotted me, I was laughing joking around with Naruto. Gaara had been watching me the entire time. "They yip just like a little dog." Temari grinned. _So...you are here (Y/N)..._ Mikio crossed his arms, anger bubbling up inside of him. _Father must be all over you right now, you and your stupid Daigan!_ He stomped his foot on the ground. _What ever, I don't need the Daigan to beat you and your puny little friends._

"How cute..." Tenten whispered to herself, "Well, they sure haven't lost any or their spunk." Neji looked down at the table. Lee was looking over at me with a smile. "They have passion." Pink rose to Lee's face. "That's the one you asked out earlier isn't it Lee?" Neji asked, looking over at me with an interested face.

"You heard what he said about the Hidden Sound Village?" Zaku scoffed, "He called us little. A mystery." Zaku shook his head, gritting his teeth angrily. "I heard." Dosu glared at us from afar. "I say, we teach this guy some manners." Kin grinned, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah. Time to clear up some of the 'mystery' for him. Update his information. Let him know that if you insult a sound shinobi, you'd better be ready to pay the consequences." Dosu grinned.

"Uh, can you say that again, a little louder please? Didn't quite catch it." Kiba grinned, looking over at Naruto and me. "You moron. Are you trying to get everybody in this place to hate our guts, or what?" Shikamaru seethed, glaring at Naruto. "NARUTO! You jackass!" Sakura screamed, choking him, he struggled to get out of her hold. "Why'd you have to go and say something like that?! You obnoxious little-!" Sakura froze, everyone was glaring at us. "Oh, hi, everyone! Don't mind him! Sometimes he says these spazzy little things, he doesn't mean them, they just kinda come out! He's got this condition, you know? Kind of a psychological thing! He really should be on medication!" Sakura chuckled nervously, waving to the crowd. "Hey! Get off of Naruto!" I shouted, jumping on top of them. "KYA!" Sakura screamed, the three of us went toppling down on the floor. "Naruto's right! We're going to kick their butt's!" I laughed, Naruto grinned up at me, we rolled around on the floor. "(Y/N)! YOU IDIOT!" Sakura seethed, "Woo!" I giggled, high fiving Naruto.

"You ready?" Dosu asked, "Let's do it." Zaku nodded. They moved together in a flash, Sakura was throwing punches at us, Sasuke stepped in. Kankuro started to remove the bandages he had wrapped around his arms, Gaara held out his arm to stop him. "Huh?" Kankuro looked down at him, throwing it back onto his shoulders. Dosu rolled up his sleeve. Kabuto was watching them closely. "Would you two for just once in your life think about what you're doing?! Think about the rest of us!" Sakura shouted, I turned my head away.

Zaku threw a flying punch at Kabuto, "Huh?!" I gasped, looking behind me. Instantly, Dosu jumped in front of him. "Hm?" Kabuto's eyes widened. _They're from the village hidden in the sound!_ Kabuto jumped back, successfully dodging Dosu's punch. _He's fast, almost as fast as me._ Sasuke grinned. "Hm." Kabuto smiled smugly, but in an instant he lost his grin. His glasses broke into tiny shards, glass dropped onto the floor. Kabuto took them off. "Oh, I get it. So it was that kind of attack." Kabuto grinned, "Hang on. I saw it all. He dodged the attack. How did that happen?" Sasuke clenched his fists, "It must have come closer than it looked. Look at him, acting like it was nothing. Tch, really tough guy." Shikamaru scoffed, turning his head away, Dosu grinned behind his mask.

"Huh?" I took a step closer as I watch Kabuto fall to his knees, he was gasping for air. "Kabuto! What's wrong?!" I shouted, running over to him, I skidded on my knees. "Hey! Kabuto, are you okay?" I asked, ignoring the shards of glass that were pricking into my legs. I rubbed his back softly. "Yeah, I'm fine." Kabuto gritted his teeth, looking up at Dosu. "Are you sure?" I asked him in a whisper, Naruto ran over to me. "Not such a tough guy after all, I guess. Maybe that's why he's on his seventh try." Dosu breathed out, I looked up at him with gritted teeth. His entire head was covered in bandages except for one eye, peering down at us. "Write this on your card, punk. The genin from the sound village will be chunin when this is all over. Guaranteed." Zaku grinned down at us, I was glaring daggers at him.

 _I don't get it. He saw their attack in time to evade it. What made him fall apart?_ Sasuke was also staring at Dosu. "Hey, Lee, what was going on with that attack?" Neji asked him, watching the three sound ninja intently. "There was more to it than just speed, some kind of trick." Lee glared at them. "I do not like (Y/N) being there." Lee clenched his fists. Gaara was staring at them intensely.

"All right, you baby faced degenerates! Pipe down and listen up!" A man shouted from across the room, I helped Kabuto stand back up. "It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And from this moment, your worst enemy." He grinned, looking around the room.


	24. The Chunin Exam Begins!

"First, you candidates from the Village Hidden In the Sound, knock it off!" Ibiki pointed at them from across the room, his voice shaking the ground. "Who told you you could fight? You want to be failed before we've even begun?!" Ibiki shouted at them, Dosu turned around to him. "Sorry. It's our first time. Guess we're a little jumpy...sir." He bent his back down. "I'll say this only once, so listen up! There will be no combat between candidates. No attacking each other with out the permission of your proctor. And even then, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately. Got it?" A shiver ran down my spine as I looked over at Ibiki, scars ran all along his face. "Hmph. No fatal force? That's no fun." Zaku scoffed, looking behind him. Izumo and Kotetsu chuckled, stepping out behind Ibiki.

"Now, if we're ready, we'll proceed to the first stage of the chunin exam. Hand over your paperwork. In return, you'll each be given a number." Ibiki held up a pack of square white cards, number one facing all of us. "This number will determine where you sit. We will start the written test once you're all seated." Ibiki announced to all of us. "The what...d-did he say...written?" Naruto gulped, Kotetsu held up a large stack of papers with a grin, "No! Not a written test! No way!" Naruto cried out.

After a long line, and Naruto constantly freaking out, we each got our numbers and were seated down inside of the testing room. Every one remained silent. A large row of chunin in uniform grey suits sat to the side, clip boards in hand as they looked around the room. Hinata sat next to me on my right, a random person to my left. An uneasy feeling washed over me, it felt like I was closely being watched. I shook my head, trying to shake off the feeling. But it stayed, clinging to my back.

Naruto gulped, looking down at the blank piece of paper on his desk. Two freshly sharpened pencils to his side with a small block eraser, Naruto sighed. _I don't even know where (Y/N) is sitting! I'm all alone!_ Naruto grumbled, holding onto the sides of his head. _Ugh! This is going to be a total disaster!_ He hung his head low. _Ha, tough luck for Naruto. Written exams are defiantly not his strong point!_ Sakura chuckled to herself, watching him from a few rows back. "Gnnnn..." Naruto held onto his head.

"Uh, (Y/N)?" "Hm?" I turned my head to the side, Hinata looked over at me with a smile. "Hey, Hinata." I whispered back with a smile. "What's up?" I asked her, pink flushed on her face. "I-I just wanted to say...good luck a-and everything." She nodded. "Oh, thanks!" I grinned, _wow, that's weird. I barely even noticed her. Even when she's there, it's like she's not._ I thought, looking over at her.

"Everyone, eyes to the front!" Ibiki shouted out, his voice boomed like a speaker, I turned my attention back to him. He tapped a piece of chalk against the chalk board. "There are a few rules you need to be aware of. And I don't answer any questions." Ibiki explained, looking around the room. "So, you better pay attention the first time around!" His eyes were dull. _No questions? What kind of rules are these?_ Sakura pouted. "Alright, rule number one is this." Ibiki turned his back to us, writing on the chalk board. "The written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what some of you might be used to, you will all begin the test with a perfect score of ten points. One point with be deducted for each answer you get wrong. So, if you miss three, the score will be seven." Ibiki explained with a nod, his hand on his hip. _So, if I miss ten, my final score will be..._ Naruto nodded, counting on his fingers. _Zero..._ Naruto scratched the top of his head.

"Rule number two. Teams will pass or fail based on the total score of all three numbers." Ibiki grinned. "What?! Wait a second! You're saying we all get scored as a team?!" Sakura shouted, "Silence!" Ibiki shouted over her, "I have my reasons, so shut up and listen." Ibiki clenched his fists. _Reasons?!_ Sakura gritted her teeth.

"Rule number three. The sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating." Ibiki explained with a grin. "Hm?" I looked over to my side, Kotetsu waved. "And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprit's score. Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp. And if they catch you five times, you'll be dismissed before the test is even scored." Ibiki looked at all of our faces, I waved back at him with a smile. _Do I know that guy?_ I wondered, turning my head back to the table. _Sheesh! They make it so there's all sorts of ways you can loose points!_ Sakura gulped. "Any one foolish enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here." Ibiki smiled as he looked at everyone's horrified faces. "I've got my eye on you." Kotetsu grinned, tapping his pencil against his clip board, I gulped. "If you want to be considered shinobi, then show us the exceptional shinobi you can be." Ibiki continued his speech, _okay, okay, relax. I just have to focus, I'm know I can do this! Sasuke and Sakura should be able to do fine, and even if Naruto fails, we can all still pull through._ I thought to my self, clasping my hands together. "One more thing," Ibiki called out, raising his voice. "If any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails." "What?!" I shuddered, Naruto gulped.

 _Ugh! They're gonna kill me!_ Naruto shuddered. "(Y/N)?" Hinata called out, worry etched onto my features. "The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period." Hinata and I gasped. "You'll have one hour total. Begin!"

I held my pencil tightly between my fingers, closing my eyes. _Okay, (Y/N), focus._ I slowly breathed in and out, slowly reading the first question. "Hm?" I raised my brow. _They've got to be kidding! This is the easiest test I've ever seen! Iruka gave us harder exams in the academy!_ I grinned, quickly scribbling down my answers, Hinata slowly began to write. I sighed, _just don't blow it Naruto._ I furrowed my brow, moving onto the third question.

 _Oh, man. This doesn't look good._ Sasuke held his pencil loosely, looking over at Naruto. _He's just sitting there. He's gonna choke!_ Sasuke crossed his arms. Naruto chuckled nervously, _what am I worried about? It's just a test! I've done a lot harder things, believe it! All I've gotta do is just relax and take my time!_ Naruto grabbed the paper, holding it close to his face. _Just read through the questions and find the ones I have a chance at answering. No pressure._ Naruto sighed a breath of relief. _Okay, number one. Oh, I see, I've got to decipher a code. Okay, mhm. Yeah, forget that one. What's next?_ Naruto continued to read the paper.

 _'Line B in the diagram indicates the trajectory of a shuriken thrown at enemy C by ninja A seated atop a tree seven meters tall. Describe and formulate the trajectory required if C were positioned at point D, E, and F. Also predict the farthest possible range of the shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer.'_ Sasuke read to himself, staring down at the paper. _Ha, these are integrated problems based on principles of uncertainty and requiring complex mechanical energy analysis. Hilarious, they must really be throwing off a lot of people right now. Oh, dang it, Naruto, you've got to pull through!_ I clenched my fists, trying to see if I could find his spiky blond hair anywhere in the room. Sakura gritted her teeth, _this is incredibly advanced stuff. I bet (Y/N) can't even answer one question, not to mention Naruto! They don't have a snowballs chance in hell!_ Sakura looked over at him. _In fact, there can't be more than a handful of people here besides me who can understand it, and I'm not completely used to it, either!_ Sakura sighed, shaking her head. Her pink hair fell onto the desk. "Hmm..." Naruto smiled down at the paper, _okay, skip that one. Next!_ Naruto looked down the paper. "Mhm...hmm..." Naruto scratched the top of his head. _Each problems more difficult than the next, man, who knew this could be so much fun?_ I smiled, continuing to write on the page.

Sasuke chuckled, _well, that's interesting. I can't begin to understand a single one of these problems._ Sasuke gritted his teeth, looking down at the paper with a strained smile. Naruto held his head, looking down at the paper. _Forget it! This is hopeless! What am I gonna do? What'll I do? What'll I do? What'll I do? Ahh!_ Naruto shook. _I need a high score if we're gonna have a chance. This is so hard! I'm almost tempted to-no, I can't do that._ Sakura held onto a strand of her hair. _It's almost like they're, like they're trying to get us to cheat! I just hope Naruto and (Y/N) don't fall for it!_ Sakura sighed, looking at Naruto's bright orange jumpsuit. _No, they wouldn't. No way. Not even Naruto is that much of an idiot, right?_ Sakura wondered looking over at him. _Okay, don't panic. Don't panic. There's only one thing left to do. I have to cheat and not get caught!_ Naruto held the side of his head, Ibiki gave him and off look, Naruto jumped, hitting himself in the head. _Y-Yeah right! And risk getting thrown out on my butt?! I can't do that!_ Naruto gritted his teeth.

I leaned back, a small smile on my face as I relaxed. I slowly let my eyes wander around the room, _it's a bit strange..._ I sighed, closing my eyes. _They make more a fuss about cheating than they do about the test it's self. These sentinels watching our every move,_ I looked over at Kotetsu. _Trying to catch one of-wow! Some one just got nailed!_ My eyes widened as I saw them quickly write down someone's name. _That's another thing. Why only a two point deduction? Doesn't make sense._ I shook my head, looking up at the ceiling. _Ordinarily, if some one's caught cheating even once, that's grounds for dismissal right there._ "Oh..." I mumbled to myself, _so that's it. Ha, very cunning, this is more then just a written exam. The real aim is not to test our knowledge, but our ability to gather information. Ha, yeah, that explains everything. The eagle eyed sentinels every where, these semi-difficult questions, the fact that only two points are deducted. Very clever. A ninja must see through deception, aw, I only wish I had noticed that before I finished the test._ I shrugged, leaning back on the desk. _Oh, well. It was something to do. Might as well do the last question as well, just to complete the test._ I doodled on the page, drawing circles in between the questions. _He's expecting us to cheat. He's daring us to try and cheat and not get caught. Only exceptional shinobi could get away with it under these circumstances, I guess I should keep my eyes peeled to see if there's anyone good enough. I wonder how many of the others have realized, I bet Sakura found that out as soon as we got the tests. I wonder if Naruto got it..._

 _This is bad, this is bad!_ Naruto held his head. "Sssssss..." "Huh?" I looked down at my lap, Kale was laying there. _Kale? What in the world is he doing here? I told him specifically to stay home!_ I picked him up off my lap, he circled around my lap. "What did I tell you?" I whispered to him in a sharp tone, he shook his head. "What do you mean 'no'? This could be too dangerous for you!" I hunched my shoulder over, he shook his head again. "You really want to stay, huh?" I asked him, looking around, Hinata was staring at her test. "Fine, but that means you've got to be quiet, and do what I say!" I whispered to him, he nodded his head as he circled around my neck. _Kale must be well rested, that means he could get agitated easily. That's not good at all, if he bites some one, they might not survive! I didn't bring any anti-venom with me!_ I bit down on my bottom lip.

Kankuro sighed as he watched sand slither up Gaara's arm. _Look's like he's figured a way out. Okay, Crow. I'm counting on you._ Kankuro held onto the pencil tightly. "Aarf!" Akamaru growled, perched on top of Kiba's head. "Good boy." Kiba whispered, quickly writing on the paper. "Yeah, that'll do it. Heh." Kiba grinned, looking over at me. "That's what you get for yesterday, (Y/N)." He huffed, thinking back on the spicy ramen I tricked him into eating.

Dosu closed his eye, keeping his pencil steadily on the paper, he listened to the person behind him writing. _Judging from the rhythm, the duration, and the frequency of the stokes, yes, I see._ Dosu wrote quickly on the paper. A silent buzz roamed around the room, a fly landed on some one's desk, staring at their paper. They quickly swatted it away. Shino held his ring finger out, the fly landed on it. _"_ Well, show me." He whispered, the fly flew around his paper. _Eight, of course._ Shino nodded.

 _Tick, tick, tick. Oh man, couldn't they have a digital clock?! Aaargh! Time's running out! That does it! I've got no choice!_ Naruto gritted his teeth, holding onto his head. _I've gotta cheat! But...I can't do that! What if I get caught?! What is (Y/N) gonna think? On the other hand, if I don't get any of these right, I'm sunk, and I take them down with me! Either way, I'm dead meat!_ Naruto shook. "GAH!" I heard a shout echo across the room, "Huh?!" I jumped, Kotetsu was standing up, I looked over, a kunai sticking out of someone's test. "What the! What was that all about?!" A boy shouted, standing up out of his seat. "Five strikes, and you're out. You just failed the test." Kotetsu grinned, his hand on his hip. "What?! It can't be!" He shuddered, his eyes wide open. "You and your team mates will leave the room immediately." Kotetsu pointed at him, two more people stood up. The three of them walked shamefully to the exit. _Thank goodness that wasn't us!_ I sighed in relief, wiping my forehead. "Candidate number twenty three, fail. Number twenty seven and forty three, fail." Kotetsu called out across the room, another boy stood up. "No way! Who says I cheated five times?! Where's your proof?! How can you keep track of all of us?! You got the wrong guy! How do you know I wasn't just-!" He was elbowed in the chest by a sentinel. "Sorry pal. We were chosen for this duty because we don't make mistakes like that. You can't even blink with out us seeing it." He hissed, "Now get out. And take your team mates with you." He scoffed, watching the guy fall to the floor. _Sharingan!_ Sasuke watched the guy in front of him. _I'll try to imitate the movements of his pencil._ Sasuke grinned, quickly writing the answers down. _Bingo. I hit the jackpot with this guy._

 _Look at her. She's cranking through this thing!_ Ino leaned on her desk, watching Sakura intently. _Okay, Sakura, I'll concede that you've got a brain behind that over sized forehead of yours. Now, I think I'll put it to work for me._ Ino grinned smugly, putting her hands together. _You ought to be flattered, girl. I don't just hit anyone with my mind transfer jutsu._ Ino targeted on Sakura, her own body falling limply on the desk. _So, Ino's got her jutsu working, I see. About time._ Shikamaru watched her. _Way to go putting that brainiac to work for us._ Choji grinned, looking behind him. _Thank's Sakura, for letting me hang out in your soul for a bit. Even if it is a little cramped in here._ Ino grabbed onto Sakura's paper. _Now, I've got to memorize these answers quickly so I can pass them to Choji and Shikamaru._ Ino scanned over the paper.

"Number fifty nine, you fail. Numbers thirty three and nine, fail." Kotetsu called out, reading his clip board. _That's the thirteenth team to be dismissed._ Kabuto thought to himself, keeping a close eye on me from behind. "Number forty one, fail. Numbers thirty five and sixty two, fail." Kotetsu continued to call out number after number, students fled from the classroom. Gaara closed his right eye, sand formed in the palm of his hand. _Look at this one. Cool as a cucumber. Stays focused as if nothing was happening, not bad for a novice._ Ibiki grinned, watching Gaara. _The opening of the third eye. Invisibility linked to the optic nerve._ Gaara looked down at the eyeball in his hand, he crushed it. Sand blew everywhere. _Ow, dang! Something got in my eye!_ A boy groaned, dropping his pencil as he tried to rub sand out of his eyes. Gaara copied down the answers.

"Uh, excuse me." Kankuro called out, raising his hand. "What is it?" Izumo sighed, looking over at Kankuro. "Uh, sorry, but I've got to use the can." Kankuro smiled awkwardly. Izumo stood up, clicking hand cuffs around his wrists, a long rope tied to them. Izumo held the other end of the rope. "We go with you to make sure you're not up to anything." Izumo sighed, leading Kankuro around like a dog on a leash. "That's completely understandable." Kankuro smiled, following him into the bathroom.

A thin wall separated Izumo from the urinals, Kankuro stood there. "Ah, security's pretty tight around here. But these sentinels aren't as eagle eyed as everybody thinks. After all, they haven't even noticed that there is one more sentinel then there used to be, right crow?" Kankuro chuckled, bits of paint fell of a fake Izumo as Kankuro zipped up his pants.

 _Only twenty minutes yet, and I haven't done squat! I'm so busted! Unless, in five minutes they'll give out the final question. So, that's what it comes down to._ Naruto clenched his fists, staring down at his blank test sheet. _Everything's riding on that. Believe it!_


	25. The Final Question! All or Nothing!

Ibiki grinned. _Now that we've weeded out most of the hopeless cases, fifteen minutes to go, time for the main event._ "Alright, listen up!" Ibiki called for out attention, I opened my eyes back up. "Wow." I looked around, only a few of us left. "Here's the tenth and final question!" Ibiki called out, I watched him intently. _Here we go!_ Naruto gulped. _Everything's riding on this one! Believe it!_ Naruto clenched his fists. _Man, this guy is full of himself._ Sasuke grinned. _This is it, the final obstacle._ Sakura watched with a small smile. _Finally! It feels like I've been waiting forever! I swear, this question better be a good one!_ I put my hands on my hips. _Hurry up Kankuro! What good is your cheat sheet going to do you if you miss the tenth question?_ Temari watched the front door, sitting on the edge of her seat. "But before I give you the question, there are some rules you need to be aware of." Ibiki nodded with a grin, "Ugh..." I sighed, rolling my eyes. The front doors opened, "Huh?" Kankuro looked around, Izumo close behind him. "Ah, made it just in time." Ibiki looked over at him, Izumo closed the classroom doors. "I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening." Ibiki grinned. _H-He's seen through Crow's disguise! He's onto us!_ Kankuro clenched his fists, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. "Well, take your seat." Ibiki glared at him, Kankuro walked calmly, as he passed Temari, he dropped a small roll of paper. "These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you." Ibiki grinned, the small feeling I felt of being watched escalated to a full on one sided staring contest, I shivered. Looking around the room, there was a lot more space now that the kicked all of the cheaters out.

"It's quiet without all the rookies around. I miss em'." Kakashi sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't worry. Chances are they'll be back again sooner than you think." Asuma grinned, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Why's that?" Kakashi asked, squinting his eye at Asuma. "I heard that their first examiner this year is Ibiki." Asuma sighed. _So, already their chances of passing look iffy._ Kakashi thought, leaning back in his seat. "Great, sticking them with that sadist right off the bat." Kakashi sighed. "What 'sadist'?" Kurenai asked, Asuma chuckled. "I forgot you're a new Jonin, Kurenai. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to ask that." Asuma grinned, holding his cigarette between his lips. "So, I'm ignorant. Who is he?" She asked, turning her head over to Kakashi. "He's what you might call a specialist." Kakashi explained, "Oh yeah? In what?" She asked, Asuma blew smoke away from his face. "Interrogation torture." Asuma grinned, her eyes winded. "Oh, of course, he won't be using physical torture during the test. He won't need to. That's not really his thing, anyway. He works on people's minds, not their bodies. He's famous for it. Everyone knows about the head of the Anbu Torture and Interrogation Corps for the Hidden Leaf. Ibiki Morino." Asuma explained with a shrug.

 _If even the rules are scary..._ Naruto gulped. _What's the question like?_ "Very well, then. Rule number one. Each of you is free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision." Ibiki explained, "Huh?" I tilted my head. _Say what? We're free to chose?_ Sasuk clenched his fists. "So, what's the catch? Let's say we decide we don't want to do it? What happens then?" Temari shouted at him from across the room. "If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail. And that means, of course, your team mates fail as well." Ibiki grinned as he listened to panicked whispers fill the room. "Not so fast. You didn't let me finish." Ibiki waved his index fingers. _Ugh, more rules? Enough already!_ I huffed, Kale held onto my neck tighter. "If you do accept the question but answer incorrectly, you will not only fail, but you will be banned from taking the chunin exam ever again!" Ibiki explained. "Hey, that's bull, man! That's ridiculous! What kind of bogus rule is that?! There's lots of people here who've taken the test before!" Kiba shouted at him, Akamru barked in agreance. Ibiki chuckled, it sent shivers down my spine. "I guess you're just unlucky. I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't want to take it, you don't have to." Kiba shuffled nervously. "If you're not feeling confident, then by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year." Ibiki chuckled, his hands in his pockets. _Thanks a lot! So if any one of us chooses to skip it, then all four of us fail. Forget it! That's not going to happen! But on the other hand, you only have one shot. Screw up and you'll never get another chance. Either way, it stinks! This is so unfair! Why couldn't they just give us a normal test?!_ Sakura grunted, Naruto shook slightly. Hinata looked over at me nervously. "Now then, if you're ready. The tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded, and then you're free to go." Ibiki nodded. _W-What could the question be? What if it's easy? What if it's not? If I get it wrong, I'll be a genin for the rest of my life the way things are going! But I can't just skip it, then we all fail! I can't do that to (Y/N) and the others!_ Naruto gritted his teeth. _Well, I'm okay, and Sasuke should be too. He's not chickening me out. No way I'm raising my hand. Oh, but what about Naruto, and (Y/N)? They don't stand a chance! Go on, Naruto, raise your hand. There's always next year, just think about yourself._ Sakura stared at him. "I'm out. That's it, I'm out." The guy sitting on my left called out, raising his hand as he stood up. "I just can't do it, I'm sorry!" He put his head down. "Number fifty, fail. Number one hundred and thirty, number one hundred and ten, that means you're out to." Kotetsu nodded. "Gennai, Inaho, I'm sorry guys." He was shaking, I looked up at him. "I'm sorry. That's it, I quit!" "Me too, sir, I'm out." "I'm out!" "Me too." "I'm so gone." Mumbles erupted around the room as people shot up from their seats, their hands in the air. I looked around again, after most of them left, I finally found Naruto. I smiled, leaning closer to my desk to see if I could wave to him, but his head was down. I lost my smile. _N-Naruto? What's going on with him? Why does-_ I stopped, looking down at his paper. _He didn't write down a single thing! Wow, he must be really upset right now._ I sighed, rubbing my chin.

 _Go on, Naruto._ Sakura looked over at him, her sight clearing. _Why don't you raise your hand? Naruto..._ Sakura sighed. _To be the greatest Hokage. Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating my like I'm somebody, somebody important!_ Sakura thought back on Naruto's words, staring at his back. _Hokage, Hokage. He has a one track mind. That dream's all he's got. It would kill him to have it taken away forever. But he's too stubborn to raise his hand, I can't let you do it to yourself, Naruto._ Sakura began to raise her hand, I jumped. _N-No! What his he doing?!_ I put my hands to the side of my face in shock, **Naruto's hand was up in the air!** _I think I'm gonna faint!_ I hung my head low.

"You see, this guy Ibiki, he's a master of interrogation because he understands how the human mind works. He know's just where to probe to uncover your weaknesses. The thing is, he's so good at his job, he doesn't use physical torture. He just messes up your head so bad, you torture yourself." Asuma grinned, looking at Kurenai's shocked expression.

"Gnn!" Naruto slammed his hand down on the table. "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage one day!" Naruto plopped back down on his seat, his arm crossed, a big smile found it's way to my face. _He's completely clueless, but he's still going for it._ I nodded, chuckling to myself. _Kid's got guts, I'll give him that._ Sasuke scoffed, turning his head away. _Way to go, you crazy little fool!_ Sakura giggled.

"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any other reason you'd want to quit, here's your last chance." Ibiki was staring daggers at Naruto. "No way, I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way." Naruto stared at him back. _Remarkable. That little outburst have given the others some back bone, he's inspired them into staying. Seventy eight left, more then I expected. But I don't see any one wavering, I think that's it._ Ibiki looked around the class room, I was beaming. Kotetsu nodded, Ibiki nodded back.

"Well, then. I admire your determination if nothing else. For those of your remaining there's only one thing left to do." Ibiki called out, I grabbed my pencil, anticipating the last question. "And that's for me to tell you that's you've all **passed.** " Ibiki grinned. "Huh?" Naruto dropped his pencil. "What?! What do you mean we pass?! Where's the tenth question?!" Sakura screamed, standing up from her seat. "There never was one! Not a written one, at least. Actually, your decision to stay was your answer to the tenth question." Ibiki chuckled, "Aw! Come on, you've got to at least have one more question! You can't just leave us off on number nine!" I whined, slamming my palms on the desk, Ibiki was laughing like a baboon. "Wait a second! So the other nine questions you gave us were just a waist of time?!" Temari seethed. "No, no, not at all. Quite the opposite! The first nine questions had an important over riding purpose, to test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances." Ibiki grinned. "Oh, well that clears up everything!" Temari huffed sarcastically, falling back down in her seat. "Let me explain. You see, my objective was to test you not only as individuals, but as a team. And how well you function as a part on that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis, so that you knew everything you did, or failed to do, would directly affect your team mates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure." Ibiki explained, putting his hands back in his pockets. "Mhm! Yeah, I figured it was something like that. That's why I kept my cool!" Naruto nodded with his arms crossed, Sakura was staring daggers at him. _Yeah, right._ Sakura huffed, Hinata giggled to my side.

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult. In fact, as you may have realized, too difficult for any genin to be expected to solve. I imagine that many of you quickly came to that conclusion, that you'd have to cheat if you had any chance at passing. The fact is the test was designed to encourage you to cheat, is almost demanded it." Ibiki explained, I was sitting their, staring at the ceiling. "Of course, it would of done you little good unless you had some one to cheat from. So, I disguised two chunin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you." Naruto shook his head, _the answers were in front of me the whole time!_ Naruto grabbed onto the sides of his head. "What is that kids problem..." Voices echoed around the room, Naruto gritted his teeth. "Oh, come on, I wasn't fooled for a second!" Naruto chuckled nervously, "Yeah! Naruto is one of the smartest guys in the room! You'd have to be a complete idiot not to see! Isn't that right, Hinata?" I shouted to the classroom, looking over at Hinata sitting next to me. She flashed red. _Incredible. So the entire time he never knew..._ Sasuke sighed, looking at Naruto from a distance.

"Those who were caught at it failed. Better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily." Ibiki grinned, untying his head hand. My eyes widened as I stared at the top of his head. "Information. It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you can gather intelligence can determine whether a missions a failure or a success." Ibiki lectured us, all eyes were on the top of his head, he had it covered during the entire test. He was bald, scars riddles his head, "Wow." I mouthed silently. "There'll be times you'll have to risk your life to get it." Ibiki grinned. _Man, what a mess. Scars, puncture wounds, burn marks. What he must of endured..._ Sasuke thought, looking over at him. Naruto gulped. The feeling on my back increased. "Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered by an enemy is not necessarily accurate." Ibiki tied the head band back over his head. "Always bear this in mind. Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It leads to the death of comrades or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence. Cheat in order to survive. And that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out, leaving the rest of you." Ibiki explained with a nod. "Okay...but I'm still not getting what the whole tenth question was about." Temari furrowed her brow. "You're not? The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. Surely, you can see that." Ibiki scoffed. "Sure! But explain it anyway..." Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "As I said before, the goal was to test you. Not only as individuals, but as part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices, both difficult. You could choose to play it safe and skip the question, though it meant that both you and your team mates would fail. Or you could try to answer it, knowing if you got it wrong, you would lose you chance at being chunin. It was a no win situation." Ibiki put his arms behind his back, pacing in the front of the room. "But just the sort that chunin have to face almost ever single day. For example, let me give you a hypothetical mission. To steal a document from an enemy stronghold." Ibiki turned to face all of us. "You have no idea how many ninja the enemy has or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore, you have reason to believe that the enemy expects you, that you might very well be walking blindly into a trap. Now, do you have the option of taking a pass on this insane mission or say my comrades and I would rather live to fight another day? Can you choose to avoid danger? No." The room was silent, I put my arms on my desk, listening. "There will be many missions that will seem almost suicidal, if you think about it. But you do not think about it. You think only of the goal, and of achieving it through courage and discipline." Ibiki looked up at the ceiling, "These are the qualities required of a chunin squad leader. Those who choose the safety of those two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who would put their comrades lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own, those who would save their own necks at the price of honor will never be able to call themselves chunin, at least as long as I'm here. As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions I gave you. You have earned the right to continue onto the next step. You have passed through the first gate. I hereby declare this section of the chunin exam, complete. There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck." Ibiki smiled, nodding to us all. "All right! We did it! That's one down!" Naruto shouted, jumping out of his seat with his fists in the air. "Yeah! Yeah! Woohoo! Yeah!" I laughed, _they're funny kids, those two._ "Hm?" Ibiki looked to the window, I froze my cheering, watching as a large brown ball crashed through the window. "AH! Is this a part of the test?!" Naruto squealed, jumping back into his seat. The ball unraveled, a person jumped out of it, throwing the brown tarp up in the sky, pinning it to the wall with a couple of kunai, I watched in awe. _Jumped the gun as usual._ Ibiki sighed.

"Head's up boys and girls! This is no time to be celebrating!" A woman shouted at all of us, "Hm?" I tilted my head. "I'll be your next proctor! Anko Mitarashi! You ready for the second test?" She asked with a grin, the class room was silent. "Good! Then let's go! Follow me!" She shouted, punching her fist in the air. I stared at her with wide eyes. Ibiki stepped out from behind the tarp, his hands in his pockets. "You're early again." Ibiki grunted, "Uh..." Anko suttered nervously. _Great. Another screaming nutcase. She reminds me way too much of Naruto and (Y/N)._ Sakura slumped her shoulders.

"How many are there?" Anko asked, looking around the room. "Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft." Anko shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. "Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year." Ibiki smiled at her. "Hm. They sure don't look it. Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half will be eliminated. " She grinned. "Huh? More than half, really?" I asked, looking at her with wide eyes. "This is gonna be fun." Anko whispered to herself. "Alright, you maggots have had it easy so far, but things are going to be different starting first thing in the morning! I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me, dismissed."

The sun was setting, Ibiki was all alone, looking over the tests out of curiosity. "Huh?" Ibiki raised his brow, picking up a test paper. His eyes quickly scanned over the paper. _No way, they...they got every answer right._ Ibiki looked up at the name, _(Y/N) (L..._ Ibiki clenched his fist. "(L/N)...so that was you." Ibiki looked up at the ceiling. _They didn't even cheat...an (L/N) being mixed in with the candidates, this is sure to stir up some trouble._ Ibiki shook his head, adding the paper to the pile he collected. _What a funny kid._


	26. The Chunin Exam Stage Two!

"Eeee..." I gulped, standing next to Naruto. Thin metal barred gates stood in front of us, shielding us from the lush forest with in. It was buzzing with life, a large _Do Not Enter_ sign held the gates together, Sasuke walked over to my other side, Sakura joined us soon after. "There's something really creepy about this place..." Sakura gulped, clasping her hands together. "It should, it's not called the forest of death for nothing. You'll soon find out why." Anko grinned, "Hmph!" Naruto turned his head away, putting his hands on his hips as he stuck his butt out. "'The forest of death, you'll soon find out why.'" Naruto mocked her with a grin, "That kind of threat won't work on me one bit! I can handle anything!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Anko. "So, looks like we've got our selves a tough guy." Anko smiled, tilting her head over to the side. In a flash, a kunai flew over at Naruto, my eyes widened as I turned over to him, Anko was behind him in a second, Naruto was frozen.

"You tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid, are you?" Anko asked, a long cut marked Naruto's cheek, blood dripping down the side of his face. I clenched my fists, about to stomp my way over to her, Sasuke put his hand on my shoulder, holding me back. "Huh?" Naruto breathed out in shock, she grabbed onto the side of his face. "Tough guys like you-!" She pulled a kunai out of her sleeve in a flash, I jumped, her arm stayed mid way. A thin woman stood behind her, his tongue rolled out over her shoulder, it held onto her kunai. She tipped her hat. "I was just returning your knife." She hissed. "Why thank you, grass ninja." Anko smiled, "But...y'know. I really don't recommend standing close behind me if you don't wish to meet your premature end." Anko took her kunai back, the grass ninja's tongue rolled back in her mouth. "Beg my pardon, but when the blade went slicing through my hair, hm, I'm just afraid I became a little excited. I meant you no harm." She turned away from Anko, "(Y-Y/N)..." Hinata whispered, taking a step closer to me, I looked over at her. "My apologize." She stepped away, "Likewise." Anko nodded, watching her walk away.

 _I thought that forest was creepy, but these guys are even creepier!_ Sakura shivered, stepping out of the grass ninja's way. Naruto held onto his cut. _Hey, I wonder if I could do that with my tongue._ Naruto thought, sticking his tongue out, desperately trying to make it stretch. "Seems like every one here today is quick tempered, there must be something in the air." Anko grinned, "This is gonna be fun." _Quick tempered? Sheesh! You're the one who threw the kunai at me!_ Naruto pouted, looking up at her. Anko stepped away from him.

"Now, before we begin this test, I've got something to hand out to you all." Anko explained, pulling a large stack of paper out of her trench coat. "It's just a standard consent form." She nodded, Naruto stood back at my side, his arms crossed. "Before the test, all of you are going to have to read over this form." Anko patted the papers. "And the sign it, of course." She nodded. "What for?" I asked, taking a step forward. "Some of you may not come back from this test, and I have to get your consent to that risk. Other wise it would be my responsibility!" Anko chuckled, putting her hand on her hip. Whispered erupted from the crowd, but I still couldn't shake off the feeling I was being watched. I looked around the crowd.

"Now, I'll explain what you'll be doing on this test. Here, pass these out." She nodded at me, "Fine." I huffed, taking the papers from her hand, turning back to the crowd. "The first thing you need to know is that this test will test every one of your survival skills." Anko nodded, I took a paper from the stack, passing it to Naruto, I followed through the crowd. _Survival? What a drag._ Shikamaru yawned, passing the paper stack on. "First," Anko called out, unrolling a map in her hand. "I'll give you all a description of the terrain on the practice field." She nodded to the crowd.

"The forty fourth training battle zone has forty four locked entrance gates, there are rivers and a forest inside. In the center is a locked tower, located ten kilometers from each gate. It's in this confined area that you'll undergo the survival test." Anko explained, I looked up into the forest with awe. "The test consists of," Anko called out, rolling the scroll back up in her hand. "An anything goes battle, to get your hands on," She dug around in her trench coat, puling out two different scrolls. "These scrolls!" She grinned, "Both of them?" Naruto asked, "Yes, both of them." She rolled her eyes. Anko showed the crowds the scrolls, one black one white, she held them in both hands. "You'll be fighting to get both. A heaven scroll and an earth scroll." I tilted my head, looking over at the scrolls, _I wonder what's inside of them._

"Altogether, twenty six teams will be taking part in this test. So, half of those teams will be going after the heaven scroll. And the other half will be trying to get the earth scroll. I'll hand over one kind of scroll to each team, and that what you will be fighting for." Anko nodded, juggling the scrolls around in her hands. "Okay...so how do we pass the test?" Sasuke asked, his voice boomed behind me. "Your entire squad must bring both, a heaven scroll and an earth scroll to the tower." She grinned. "But that means, at the very best, half of us will fail." Sakura looked over at Anko with a worried face. "No one ever said it was gonna be easy...oh, and one more thing. The test has a time limit. You must finish it with in five days." She nodded, putting the scrolls back in her trench coat. "Five days?!" Ino screamed, "What are we supposed to do about food?!" Choji stomped, looking over at her with wide eyes. "Just look around. The forest is full of plenty of things to eat. There's plenty to feed all of you." She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah, but that's not all the forest is hiding. There are plenty of man eating beasts and poisonous plants there." Kabuto explained with a sigh, his old back up glasses covering his eyes. "Oh maaaaan..." Choji sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Quiet down! This is why they call is survival, y'know!" Ino scoffed, her hands on her hips.

"That means, with theses circumstances, there's no way half of the teams will past the test." Neji scanned through the forest, "With the days getting longer, the nights are getting shorter. So we will have less time to sleep and less time to recover. It will be challenging indeed!" Lee smiled, his teeth shinning. "Completely surrounded by enemies, there wouldn't be time to rest, we've got to keep a constant watch." Sasuke glared into the forest, he strongly grabbed onto my shoulder. "Right, this test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is designed to be a grueling test, and I'm sure some of you wont be up to the challenge." She explained, her hands on her hips as she looked into the crowd. Shikamaru raised his hand, "So...um, let's say we're in the middle of the exam, can we quit?" Shikamaru asked, his other hand on his hip. "Of course not, when you're in the middle of a battle you cant just say 'sorry, I quit.'. Well, I guess you could but it's probably gonna get you killed." Anko laughed, "Well...just great. This is going to be a drag..." Shikamaru crossed his arms, Choji was on his fourth bag of chips.

"There are also some other ways you can get disqualified." Anko explained, holding up her index finger. "The first is simple. If all the members on a team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days. Number two," She added another finger. "If the team looses a member, or if a member becomes incapacitated and cannot continue. But, the most importantly, none of you, absolutely none of you, can look at the contents of the scrolls until you've reached the tower." Anko said sternly, "What happens if we do look at it?" I asked, "Yeah, what if it just happens to flap open and you read it." Naruto nodded, "Let me put it to you this way." Anko pointed at us, "You. Don't. Want. To. Know." She grinned, "Huh?" Naruto tilted his head.

"There are times when a ninja will be asked to carry secret documents, the scrolls rule is to test your integrity. Okay? We're done. Each team, take your consent forms and exchange them over there for your scrolls." Anko pointed at a make shift hut she and a few other jonin set up, "After that, each team will pick a gate, and you'll be led inside." Anko sighed, her shoulders slumped. "Oh, and I have a word of advice. Don't die!" She gritted her teeth, sternly putting her hands on her hips.

Kotetsu dragged a large curtain around the hut, he looked completely board. Sasuke was sitting down behind a rock, watching. _I see, so they won't let you know which team has which scroll, and you won't know which of the team members is carrying the scroll. So information really will be a matter of life or death, it's just like what Ibiki said._ Sasuke sighed, looking back over the consent form. "Hey, what ya doin?" I asked, sliding down from the top of the rock. "Reading." He looked up at me, I was slowly skidding down. Hushed whispers filled the air, Sasuke and I looked around at the different teams. _Everyone is an enemy._ Sasuke scanned through the crowd. "Hm." Anko looked over at the two of us, Naruto was creeping over. _It looks like their starting to understand what's really involved in this test._ She smiled, looking over at us. _"_ The forest looks pretty cool though, right?" I looked down at Sasuke from the rock, Kale was starting to move around, "Yeah! I think it's pretty cool!" Naruto called out, sliding out of no where. _It's super creepy! I don't see one cool thing about it._ Naruto smiled nervously. "Hey," Naruto called out, "What?" I asked, he pointed to my neck. "What's your snake up to?" He asked, watching Kale wiggle around, I sat up straight. "Oh, Kale's been sleeping a bunch, so now he's super energized! I bet he's gonna fight this time, but we'll have to wait and see." I smiled down at Naruto, he raised his brow. "Your snake can fight?" He scratched the top of his head, I nodded my head. "Yep! He's super good at it, too." I grinned, proud of Kale.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little future failure." I heard Ino call out from a distance, I looked over to my side. Ino stepped out in front of Sakura, I sighed. "Huh?" Sakura looked up from the form, "What's up, billboard brow? I thought you would've washed out of the program by now. You're big forehead alone should've gotten you tossed." Ino smirked, her hands on her hips. "So sad, you're jealous that I'm spending five days with Sasuke." Sakura smiled, looking away. "And it's clearly turning you into some one very petty and ugly. And you were already ugly!" Sakura crackled, glaring at Ino. "Ugly!" Sakura shouted, "You are! Billboard brow!" "Ugly!" "Big forehead!" "Ugly!" "Billboard forehead!" "Ugly!" Shikamaru and Choji back off, taking a couple steps back. "Enough! Give it up, Sakura! You're not welcome, you're too weak to pass this test!" Ino shouted, stomping her foot on the grass. "Yeah, right! You're the one who's going down!" Sakura shouted back, they stared at each other for a second before turning away. "Hmph!" Ino stomped off, Sakura went in the other direction.  
"I'm glad they didn't turn on us. Why are they like that too each other?" Choji asked, turning to Shikamaru. "Who cares? I don't have time to think about that stuff." Shikamaru looked away.

I walked away from the boulder, _Kale is starting to get a bit too agitated, I have to get him to cool down._ I gulped, holding him in my hand. _I don't understand why he's acting this way, even when he's funny rested, he doesn't get this riled up. It must of been something he saw...but what? Akamaru? They hang out some times, maybe Akamaru did some thing to Kale. I should ask Kiba about it later._ I sighed, walking through the grass, my form in my other hand. "Hm?" I looked up, Hinata was leaning against a tree. "Hey, Hinata! What are you doing way out here?" I asked her, walking closer to her. "(Y-Y/N)! Umm...uh...I-I just...n-nothing." Hinata stuttered, her face turning red again. _Well, that's Hinata. Weird as always._ I smiled. "O-Oh...K-Kale, I-I have..." Hinata whispered, digging for something in her pocket. "Well, see ya later." I waved as she held out a small bottle, I didn't notice. "O-Oh..." She whispered to her self, watching me walk away. _I guess I'll keep it for later then._ Hinata thought, looking down at the medicine bottle.

"Alright ever one, we're gonna start handing out scrolls." Kotetsu called out to us, I started to head my way over. The four of us met up, our forms in our hands. _What's even weirder than Kale acting up is this being watched feeling, I don't understand where it's coming from._ I wondered, looking down at the from. Groups passed in and out of the shack, the four of us watched.

 _Well, I wonder how many of them will survive._ Anko thought to herself, watch as the four of us went into the shack. I put my signed form down on the desk, Izumo took the papers. "Hi, again." He grinned, waving to me, I waved back, _I have no clue who these guys are!_ I smiled nervously. He handed me a pure white scroll, the heaven scroll. I held it tightly in my hand. _We are so gonna win this!_ Naruto grinned over at me, I smiled back.

"Listen up!" Anko called out to all of us, the four of us walked back into the crowd. "All the teams have received their scrolls, so everybody, go to your gate and wait there! When the gates open, the test is on!" She shouted with a wave.

"Yeah, we rock at survival! There's no way we could loose!" Kiba shouted, the three of them stood in front of gate sixteen. "Hinata," Kiba called out, she looked over at him. "Be strong for this." Kiba looked over at her, "Right." She stared at the gate.

"This test may cost us our lives, what a drag." Shikamaru crossed his arm, Choji rummaged through his fanny pack, looking for another chip bag. "But since we have to do it-" "Potato chips check. Strawberry layered cake, check." Choji grinned, they stood in front of gate twenty seven.

"Believe it! I dare you to bring it on! I'll just send it right back twice as hard!" Naruto shouted, flailing his fists in the air. "Woohoo! No one's gonna stand in our way when we've got Naruto on the team! And Kale's here too, we're so gonna win!" I shouted, dancing around Naruto, Sasuke crossed his arms. _Cha! That's right! Well, except the bit about Naruto._ Sakura smiled. Sasuke stared at gate twelve.

"Heh heh...the time has come to carry out our orders." Dosu chuckled mysteriously, Zaku peered over his shoulder at gate twenty.

 _So...it's finally come down to this. Don't worry, (Y/N), we'll see each other soon. Real soon._ Kabuto grinned, looking at gate thirty eight.

 _Not only do I have to deal with those punks on the other teams, I'll be with Gaara, he might try to kill me!_ Kankuro shivered, looking over at him. _All because of that (Y/N) kid...why did they have to be so cute? Gah, it's annoying!_ Kankuro clenched his fists, staring over at gate six.

"We'll target the rookies, they're easy pray." The grass ninja from before tilted her hat, listening to her team mate. "We'll get the scrolls from them in no time." She hissed, looking at gate fifteen. "Anything goes, right?" She grinned.

 _Guy-sensei, I will make you proud! Just watch! Soon, every one will know the name, Rock Lee! (Y/N) will never be able to resist my charms!_ Lee clenched his fists, his eyes burning with determination as he stared at gate forty one, Neji crossed his arms.

The sentinel in front of us unlocked the gate, excitement builded up side of me.  
"ALRIGHT! Head's up you maggots, the second part of the test had begun!" Anko screamed at the top of her lungs, the four of us stepped through the gates, a wide smile on my face. I heard the metal of the gates clinking open, it run through the forest.

The three grass ninja ran in together quickly, "You know who we're looking for." She told her team mates, holding onto her hat as she ran, long black hair swishing behind her. "Yeah, those four brats." Her teammate nodded, keeping his head forward.

"He, he! Alright! Let's go, guys!" Naruto shouted, he walked into the forest, a large smile hanging off of his face. I followed close behind him, Sasuke stayed at my side, Sakura hastily stepped to Sasuke's other side, worry marked her face.

Kiba jumped down on the ground, Hinata and Shino landing next to him. "Okay, the first thing we've got to do is to find em. Are you ready, Hinata?" Kiba asked her, Akamaru wagging his tail. Hinata nodded, holding her hands up to her face. "Byakugan." Hinata whispered, her eyes sparkling a milky white, veins popping up around her eyes.

Lee swung from tree branch to tree branch, Neji and Tenten struggled to keep up with him. "Take it easy, Lee. The tests only just begun." Neji called out to him from behind. "That may be...but still." Lee smiled. "Who ever our enemies are, I want to find them before they find us!" Lee started to go faster, Neji did as well. "Hot-blooded fool." Negi whispered to himself.

"Remember, we only have one target. Stay focused." Dosu reminded his team mates, Zuku nodded behind him.

Shikamaru cautiously peeked out from behind a tree, he silently nodded, continuing to walk. Ino sighed, following, but she stopped dead in her tracks as she looked down at Choji. "Ah! Choji! What are you doing?!" Ino shouted, he teared open a new bag of potato chips. "Just having a snack. I mean, I've got to keep my strength up, don't I?" He grinned, stuffing his first handful of chips in his mouth, Ino stomped over to him. "We haven't even been out here five minutes!" Ino whined, placing her hand on her hip. "Yeah, come on, Choji. We have a job to do here." Shikamaru took a step closer, Choji turned away from them. "I can't help it! I've gotta eat! It's my favorite flavour!" Choji grinned, munching. "You and your snacks! This is a survival test, y'know? You should of brought something more useful than chips!" She shouted, Shikamaru jumped. "You guys, quick, hide!" Shikamaru whispered in a rushed tone, Ino gasped. She jumped into a bush, Shikamaru pulled Choji down with him.

Three ninja jumped down, Shikamaru watched them. _Oh no!_ He gritted his teeth, looking down at a potato chip Choji had dropped. One of them pointed off to the other directing, they nodded. They left as quickly as they came. Ino sighed in relief. _Oh, man. I gotta deal with five more days of this?_ Shikamaru sighed.

Hinata looked around, _no signs of (Y/N)..._ she sighed, her eyes going back to normal. She briefly explained what she saw, which wasn't much. Kiba put his hands on his hips, starting to discuss a plan. "So, the towers where everyone's gonna be headed in the end, I say, we lay a trap there and take the scrolls off of whoever we catch." Kiba put his hands in his pockets, Akamaru growled, sniffing the air. "Well, well. We've got company." Kiba whispered with a grin.

"Heh, bunch of fools. Just standing out in the open like they want to get caught." A rain ninja chuckled quietly, "Well, it seems that they've sensed our presence, but they're all such lame ninja that they can't even pinpoint our location." His team mate said silently, jumping down on the same branch as him. "Hm? What's wrong? What's in your shirt?!" His team mate gasped, a giant leech was sucking on his back. "GAH! What is that thing?!" He jumped, horrified as he looked up to see giant leeches raining down on them.

"Well, looks like the leeches found them." Kiba grinned, "If they suck your blood for more than five minutes, it's all over." Kiba shrugged. "G-Get off me!" He drastically weakened, trying his best to shove the leech off. "Hm?" He looked down, accidentally activating a trip wire, they were snatched up into a net. "Well, there's one team down." Kiba grinned, they started to shout.

"Huh?!" I jumped, turning around, Sasuke stood close to me as we heard a scream echo through the forest. "T-That sounded like some one screaming." Sakura gulped, her legs lightly shaking. A bead of sweat ran down the side of Naruto's face. Birds squaked over head. "I don't like this place any more..." I mumbled, putting my hands in my pockets. "Oh, come on! There's nothing to be scared of, it's gonna be a piece of cake!" Naruto put his hands behind his head. "Yeah!" I nodded. "Uh...excuse me. I've really got to pee." Naruto jumped to the closest bush he found, starting to unzip his pants. "GAH!" Sakura shouted, hitting him on the top of his head. "Get out of here, ya runt! Not in front of me, ya don't! Do it in the bush or something!" She screamed, I held my mouth shut, trying to stop myself from laughing.

After a minute of waiting, Naruto came walking back, a smile on his face. "Hah, man. That was a lot, I wrote my whole name!" Naruto smiled, "Ha-!" I froze, looking at Naruto's face. "You are such a pig! You're really disgusting sometimes-!" Sakura jumped, I kicked Naruto to the ground, he landed against a tree. "Good one." Sasuke called out, quickly pulling a kunai out of his pocket. "It wasn't that bad! Don't you think you're going a little overboard?!" Sakura gasped, shaking her head. "Yeah! What the heck is that all about?!" Naruto shouted, I sent another kick towards his face, he quickly rolled out of the way. "Gah!" Naruto gasped, jumping up onto a tree branch, Sasuke was right behind me. Sasuke jumped up into the tree, punching Naruto back down on the ground. "Better watch out Sakura! I think they've gone crazy!" Naruto shouted to her. "Yeah, you wish. I just jumped before you could!" I grinned, pulling my own kunai out, gritting my teeth down at him. "Alright then! Bring it on!" Naruto shouted, holding a kunai in his left hand, he ran towards me. The blades clinked together, "You're doing a pathetic job!" I shouted at him, he jumped back, stumbling on his feet. "(Y/N)! Sasuke! What are you doing?!" Sakura called out, "Take a good look!" I shouted at her, "What?" She tilted her head. "Where's the real Naruto?!" I screamed, "What?! What do you mean?! I am the real Naruto!" He shouted back, "Then where's the cut on your cheek?" I glared at him, he gasped, Sakura's eyes widened. "I guess you didn't know Naruto got a cut on his face before this test. Besides, Naruto using his left hand, as if! He's right handed!" I shouted at him, pointing the tip of my kunai at him. "You have worse transformation skills than Sasuke!" I scoffed, Sasuke glared at me. "Tell me who you are!" I shouted at him, in a puff of smoke he turned back into his original self.

"Alright, ya got me, so what? I'm still gonna take your scroll! So, hand it over, or else!" Oboro shouted, breathing roughly through his mask. Sakura pulled out a kunai of her own. "So, which one of you has it? Is it, you, cutie?" He eyed me head to toe, I gritted my teeth, Sasuke stepped in front of me. "Alright then, I guess I'll have to take you all out!" Oboro shouted, dashing towards us, I stood my ground.


	27. Eat or be Eaten! Panic in the Forest!

Sasuke jumped up in the air, dodging Oboro's blade. "Fire style, phoenix flower jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, shooting fireballs down at Oboro, he quickly dodged them all, jumping up in the air. Sasuke met him, their kunai clanked in the air as they flew past each other, Sasuke landed on a tree branch, quickly turning around. Oboro was starting to run away. "GAAH!" Naruto screamed, Sasuke looked down at him from the tree tops. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" He screamed, "Loser!" Sasuke grunted, throwing a kunai down at Naruto's side. "Thank you!" Naruto grinned, cutting the rope that bound him on it. "Better keep your eyes on tha game!" Oboro shouted, flinging kunai down at him, Sasuke jumped away from them, holding onto the branch with one arm. "Sssssss..." "Huh?" Sasuke looked up at the at kunai. "Paper bombs?!" Sasuke gasped as they exploded, jumping out of the way just in time, he skidded in the dirt, Oboro was right behind him, pointing a kunai at the back of Sasuke's neck.

"Sorry, this is one test you fail. Now, hand over the scroll or you die!" Oboro shouted, "Sasuke!" Sakura gasped. I gritted my teeth, Sasuke grinned. I flung a kunai down at Oboro, he quickly jumped out of the way, I hopped down onto the ground. "I'm not letting you get away this time!" I shouted at him from the ground, glaring up at him. _This is too dangerous for (Y/N)!_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, closing his eyes. He hovered his foot over a dropped kunai, _focus my chakra._ The kunai stuck to Sasuke's foot, "Hm?" I sensed the chakra in the air, looking over at Sasuke, his eyes were a deep red as he kicked up into the air, the kunai flinging past Oboro, Oboro watched it, distracted. Sasuke jumped up to him, **stabbing Oboro in the arm!** "Are you alright?!" Sakura asked in a shout, looking up at Sasuke. "Don't just stand there, Sakura! Chances are, this guys not alone! Watch out, the others could strike any second now!" Sasuke shouted down at us, Oboro kicked off of Sasuke's chest, blood spraying from his arm as he flew through the air, he held onto his wound. "I wish...I came alone so I wouldn't arouse suspicion! B-Big mistake!" Oboro gasped for air, dealing with the pain. He landed on a large tree branch, running away with his tail between his legs. Sasuke jumped back down on the ground, I ran over to him, Sakura close behind. "Hey!" Naruto shouted from afar, running to catch up with us, large red marks clung to his wrists where the rope used to be. _So much for him...for now._ Sasuke glared up at the trees.

The four of us sat down in a circle, Sakura put her hands in her lap, Naruto crossed his legs, Sasuke leaned on his knees with his arms, I leaned back on my hand, stretching my legs out on the grass. "That proves that we can't just trust appearances. We have to come up with a way of knowing that each of us is who we say we are and not some imposter using a transformation jutsu." Sasuke looked up at the three of us, "Mhm." I nodded my head, "Alright, so what do we do?" Sakura asked, leaning into the circle. "We need a password." Sasuke stated, "What kind of password?" Naruto asked, turning his head over to Sasuke. "A secret one. Known only to the four of us, and don't trust any one who doesn't know it. No matter what." I slumped my shoulders, _I hope it's not too long._ "Okay, listen up. I'm only going to say this once. The question will be, ' _When does a ninja strike_?'. And the response is, ' _A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, and his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike.'._ Got it?" Sasuke explained, Naruto stared at him with a blank face, I rubbed the back of my neck. "I got it." Sakura nodded, her pink hair falling over her shoulders. "You got one a little shorter?" Naruto asked, squinting his eyes at Sasuke. "Yeah, how in the world are you expecting us to remember all that?" I asked with a sigh. "No. That's it." Sasuke shook his head. "Ugh, come on, what's wrong with you two? How could you not get it? I memorized it, easy." Sakura puffed out her cheeks. "Y-Yeah! Sure! I got it, I got it, no problem!" Naruto waved, I crossed my arms. "I guess..." I mumbled to myself, "I just thought it was gonna be a pass- _word._ Not a pass- _speech."_ I huffed. Sasuke stood up. "Alright then, I'll take the scroll." Sasuke looked down at me, his hands in his pockets. "Alright, I got it right-!" I reached for my pocket, something quickly whisked by my face, it stung my cheek. I toughed it gingerly, red stained the tips of my fingers. "What was that?" I called out, quickly climbing up to my feet. I looked behind me, a loud whistling came from the forest, me and Naruto looked at each other before a large gust of wind came out way. "Ah!" I shouted in surprise, holding my arms in front of my face to block flying twigs and leaves that came blowing out way, my feet dug into the ground as I strained my legs. Sakura screamed, her long pink hair snapping behind her. "What is it now?!" Sasuke shouted, we were blown away.

"Alright, you two, fan out into the woods and keep your eyes open." She hissed at her teammates, relaxing her arms as the winds subsided. "I'll handle this alone." She grinned, looking at the large trail into the forest the winds had made.

Sasuke jumped out of a bush he was blown into, holding onto a kunai tightly. Sakura gasped. "Sakura?" He looked over at her, "Sasuke! What was that?" She asked, starting to run over to him. "Stay there." Sasuke called out, pointing the tip of his kunai at her. "First, answer the question. When does a ninja strike?" Sasuke asked her, she clasped her hands together. "Oh. Right. A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when he leaves his weapons forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike." Sakura nodded, Sasuke lowered his kunai. "Have you seen (Y/N)? They have to be around here, somewhere." Sasuke sighed, looking around. "Hey guys!" I called out, picking leaves off of my clothes. I walked over to them, "Hold it." Sasuke stared at me, "Huh?" I tilted my head, he raised his kunai. Sakura did as well, standing behind him. "What's the password?" He asked me, I gulped. "Y-Yeah...that's right!" I chuckled nervously. "Hey! You guys okay?!" Naruto shouted, running towards us. "Stop right there!" Sakura shouted, "Say the password." Sakura commanded him. "Sure, no problem! Okay, a ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when he leaves his weapons forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike." Naruto nodded his head up and down, Sakura sighed in relief, Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Y-Yeah!" I shouted, clenching my fists. Sasuke threw his kunai at him, "Gah!" Naruto gasped, falling to the ground as he dodged the blade. "What was that?!" Naruto shouted, dirt rubbing onto his orange jumpsuit. "You could've killed me!" Naruto shivered. "Gotta hand it to you. You're quicker than the last one." Sasuke glared at him, "Hm?" I looked over at Naruto. "You're right." I took a step closer to him. "What do you mean?! What was wrong with that?!" Sakura asked, clenching her fists. "He got the password right! Word for word!" She nodded. "Exactly, that's whats wrong." Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto. "Huh?" Sakura tilted her head. "You really think Naruto could memorize all that and get it word for word? (Y/N) couldn't, and that's why they're in the clear. Not the Naruto I know, not in a million years. You'd have a better chance teaching it to a hampster." Sasuke tightened his grip on his kunai, glaring daggers down at the fake Naruto. "Oh, right. You've got a point." Sakura nodded. "Hm, yeah. The way they moved was so uncool, there's no way Naruto would've done that." I shook my head, putting my hands on my hips. "Alright. Come out, whoever you are. Parties over." Sasuke stared down at him. "Hmm..." Naruto licked his lips, his voice changing into a lower tone. "Aren't we the clever one?" She asked, transforming back into herself in a puff of smoke.

"Tell me, if your team mate's that dimwitted. Why would you come up with a password he would never remember?" She asked, holding onto the tip of her straw hat. _It's the grass ninja from before._ I clenched my fists. "You see, it wasn't meant for Naruto so much as it was for anybody who might have heard near by trying to eavesdrop on us. It was meant as a trap, and you stumbled right into it." Sasuke grinned. A shadow covered her eyes as she removed her hat, her thin lips spread into a sick smile. "I'm impresssed. You cccertainly haven't dropped your guard, have you?" She hissed like a snake, I watched her closely. "Thisss promissess to be _very_ entertaining." She grinned, licking her dry lips eagerly. _Ugh, she is a new meaning to the word creepy._ Sakura shivered. _Where is Naruto?_ I wondered, gulping nervously.

Naruto's back was pressed against the ground, his legs sticking up in the air as they leaned on a tree. "Gnnnnnn..." He groaned, a thick layer of dirt covered his backside. "Okay...upsy daisy." Naruto sighed, turning back over on his side, he leaned on his arm for support as he laid on the ground. "Huh? Hey, where did (Y/N) go? I wonder if they-!" Naruto's eyes widened as he looked up. "W-W-Wow!" Naruto gasped, "Thats-thats-thats- that's one big snake!" Naruto shouted in awe, sitting up on his knees as he looked up at it's large head edging closer. He waited, watching. In a split second, **the snake threw it's head down at Naruto!** "AHHHHH!" He screamed, being flung through the air as the snake crashed into the ground. Naruto skidded on his hands and knees, "What?!" He gasped, the snake wrapped it's tail around Naruto's body, slithering all around him. "I-I can't move!" He shouted, struggling with all his might to break free of the snakes grasp. "GAH!" He shouted, watching as the snake opened it's mouth up wide, crashing down onto Naruto, **it swallowed him whole!** Naruto's muffled scream echoed in the snakes throat as he slid down into his stomach.

She pulled out a pure black scroll, _the earth scroll!_ My eyes widened as I watched her pull it out of her pocket, "Ah, you'd love to get your handsss on our earth ssscroll, wouldn't you?" She asked, raising it to her chest for the three of us to see, I tensed my shoulders. "It would go sso nicely with your heaven scroll," She raised the scroll to her lips, her tongue hung out, trails of saliva dripping down her chin as she circle the wet muscle around the scroll, pushing it deeper down her throat, I shivered with disgust. Sakura watched in horror as she swallowed it whole, I watched it slide down her throat. She grinned, a shadow crossing over her eyes. "Well, when this is all over," She licked her chin, "one of us will have both scrolls." "Hm?" I scrunched up my face, watching as she dug her finger nail into her bottom eye lid, "And the other will be dead."  
"Ggg-!" Sasuke froze, Sakura gasped, her mouth hanging wide open. "Huh?! W-What's going on?!" I shouted, watch as the two of them fell to the ground. "AHHH!" Sakura's scream echoed through the forest, birds quickly flying away from the branched above us. My eyes widened, Sasuke was shaking like a leaf, gasping for air. "Sasuke! Sakura! Tell me, what's wrong?!" I looked over at the two of them, my hands on my head as I tried to understand. _T-They just fell!_ "You!" I pointed at her, my eyes wide with shock. "What the hell did you do to them?!" I screamed, she raised her head. "Mmm, you're not affected." Her voice rolled in her throat, Sasuke lurched forward, puking into the grass in front of him. "Sasuke! What the hell's going on?!" I looked over to him, he fell backwards. _Her thirst for blood is..._ Sasuke shivered. _Looking into her eyes...I saw the moment of my own death!_ Beads of sweat raced down Sasuke's face. _(Y/N), I've have to get (Y/N) out of here! Move, dammit, move! "_ Sakura?" I called out to her, she was bent over on her knees, tears streaming down her face, she trembled silently. _We've got to get out of here! Get away from her!_ Sasuke shook. _She's death!_

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Naruto screamed, his voice echoing through the snake. "I'll make you sorry you every swallowed me you stinken! Gah!" Naruto shouted, repeatedly stabbing the inside of the snake with his kunai, but nothing budged. "Let me out!" Naruto sighed, "Hey! Wait a second!" Naruto dug through his pouch, pulling out a large rice ball. "Here. Wouldn't you rather have this? I was saving this rice ball to share with (Y/N) for lunch-gnnn!" The insides of the snake squeezed him tighter, the rice ball rolled out of his hand. It dissolved. "Ah! It's all gone! And I'll be digested just like that in another minute!" Naruto gulped, struggling to move around in the slimy stomach of the snake. "GAH!" He gasped, falling deeper into the snake. "No! Let me out! (Y/N)! Sakura! Sasuke! Get me out of here!" Naruto screamed, slipping deeper into the snake.

She chuckled evilly, her shoulders relaxed. "They're paralyzed with fear." She grinned, I looked over to her, my eyes burning furiously. _What's wrong with me?! Move, come on, move! Move, Sasuke, move! I have to protect (Y/N)!_ Sasuke shouted at himself in his head, his hand slowly inching closer to the hilt of his kunai, _yes! That's it! You can do this!_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, slowly pulling his blade out. "Fear?! There's nothing to be afraid of except you're ugly mug! I wouldn't be surprised if you were medusa's twin sister!" I shouted at her, stomping my foot into the ground. _There!_ He pulled the blade to his chest, _that's right!_ Sasuke climbed up to his feet, shaking violently. _Even if it's just a little, move!_ "Mmm, you've got an interesting pet there, child." She took a step closer, I looked down at Kale. _No! He's starting to act up again!_ I gritted my teeth. "Hm?" She turned her hair over to Sasuke, I looked back at him. "You're alright!" I smiled, taking a step closer to him. "Very good. Now what happens?" She asked, looking over at Sasuke. _I-It's no use! I can't move!_ Sasuke grunted, frozen solid. She walked over to us, two kunai in her hand. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick." She grinned. "Back off!" I turned to her, stomping my foot into the ground, my fists raised. "You big jerk!" I shouted, a large frown on my face. She froze, her eyes widening. "(Y-Y/N)...?" She whispered, "No." She shook her head, _they died years ago._ She tightened her grip around the kunai, "Stop talking to yourself, you big weirdo! I swear, you're almost as creepy as Sasuke!" I shouted at her, "Hsssss!" Kale hissed loudly, as his body started to grow, the heavier he got around my shoulders, he barred his fangs menacingly. "Kale!" I shouted at him, "Hm. I see." She raised the kunai over her head, Kale jumped off of my shoulders, burrowing under ground, my eyes widened. "I expected you to be more of a challenge. How disappointing." She sighed, flinging the kunai towards them, I jumped up, trying to catch them in the air, a spray of blood blinded me.

 _I can't believe it...is this really how it ends?_ Naruto closed his eyes, stuck with in the belly of the snake. _Iruka-sensei...old man Hokage...Konohamaru...Kakashi-sensei...Sakura...oh, (Y/N)..._ Naruto sniffled. _Well...I guess Sasuke, too. Hmph! I don't know what Sasuke's problem was! The guy was always jealous of me...still, we had our moments. Like how we helped Kakashi-sensei bring down that creep Zabuza. We were always fighting, always pushing each other on every challenge, always looking for that final showdown to really show which one of us is the best. Hey! Wait, a minute, that's right! We never did have our final showdown! We never proved who's best! I-I can't just leave things up in the air like that! That's it! I'm getting out of here! Whether slither-puss like's it or not!_

In a flash, we were gone. A splatter of blood in our place, "So, that's how it is." She looked up into the trees. Sasuke leaned against the tree trunk, his hand still on the hilt of the kunai he stabbed into his leg, his other hand clutching onto my arm. Sakura was on her knees, Sasuke was gasping for air. "Sasuke..." Sakura whispered.  
 _A desperate move, but a clever one. He overcame the fear with pain, so, this pain isn't so helpless after all._ She grinned.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted, clones squeezing into the snakes belly, "Ow!" Naruto shouted, a foot landing on his forehead. Hundreds of Naruto's filled the snake's body, blowing him up like a balloon! The snake exploded in a bloody mass, chunks of it's skin flung around the forest, Naruto gasped for fresh air, soaked in the snake's stomach acid. "Sorry, but you picked the wrong shinobi! I'm gonna be Hokage one day!" Naruto shouted, wiping snake juice out of his hair. "If you think I'm gonna end up a pile of snake crap in the middle of the woods, you're crazy!" Naruto clenched his fists.

"Gnn!" Sasuke grunted, pulling the kunai out of his leg, my eyes widened as he squeezed my arm to deal with the pain, I looked down at his leg. He dropped the kunai down on the tree branch, I gasped. "That wounds deep, will you be alri-!" Sasuke slapped his hand over my mouth, pulling me close to his chest, Sakura gasped. _We've gotta get away from her!_ Sasuke shook, looking around worriedly, I kept my mouth shut. _But how?! Where?! (Y/N), they matter the most, (Y/N), (Y/N), (Y/N)!_ Sasuke gritted his teeth. _I-I've never seen Sasuke like this! He's got me scared!_ I breathed slowly through my nose, worry etching onto my features. "Hm?" I looked over at my side, a large snake was edging closer to us. "GNN!" His hand muffled my voice as I grabbed onto his arm, shaking him. "Sasuke! Watch out!" Sakura screamed, "Huh?!" He gasped, jumping with me in his arms, Sakura jumped in the opposite direction, just in time to dodge the snake. I looked down at it. _T-That snake! It's eyes look just like...no. There's no way...he's dead._ I shook my head. "Unbelievable! I didn't even notice!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, I held onto his hand. "It's alright! We'll get through this!" I shouted at him, the snake circled around the tree, lunging towards us. "No!" Sasuke screamed, staring into the snakes eyes. "STAY AWAY!" He shouted, flinging shuriken into the snake's neck, it dropped dead on the tree. I landed on a tree branch, Sasuke right next to me. I shivered. _Sasuke's losing it! And where did Kale go?! And this feeling...it's uncanny! Those snakes, where could he be?_ I clenched my fists. _No, it's impossible! I saw him die, right in front of my eyes!_ I shook my head back and forth, "Huh?!" Sasuke exclaimed, looking down at the snake. "What?" I whispered, watching it's skin peel back. Sakura gasped.  
"I sense your fear and desperation." She hissed, growing out of the dead snakes carcass. "It's only natural, the prey must never let down it's guard, not even for a moment." She glared up at us, her body twitching in an unusual way. "In front of it's predator!" She hissed, laughing as he tongue hung out of her mouth. "Gah!" Sasuke shouted, pulling me closer to his chest. She circled around the tree, racing towards us with her tongue sticking out. "Hm?" She stopped, a kunai thrown in front of her. She looked up at another tree branch.  
"Look's like I came just in time!" A voice called overhead, I looked up with wide eyes. Naruto was grinning down at us, his arms crossed. "Naruto!" I gasped, a wide smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "How's it?" He asked, adjusting his headband.


	28. Naruto's Counter Attack! Never Give In!

"Okay...so what is the password again?" Naruto asked, looking down at us from the tree branch. "Forget it, we already know it's you, Naruto." Sakura shook her head. "Naruto, get out of here! What are you thinking?! You don't know what you're up against! Hurry, go now, while you still can!" Sasuke shouted at him, she turned her head over to him. "So, Naruto, you managed to escape my friend. Well done." She hissed, "Hmmm..." Naruto scrunched up his nose, _oh, I get it! That wasn't just any random giant snake attack, the snake was sent by her! Or...it...whatever this demon is._ Naruto glared down at her, his arms crossed. _He doesn't get it. He doesn't know what he's dealing with. What do I do?_ Sasuke clenched his fists, looking over at me. "Okay, okay, I don't know what's going on here, but you've been picking on my friends, and I don't like that!" Naruto pointed down at her. "So you better just slither back into your hole, snake lady, before I make a pair of shoes out of ya!" Naruto put his other hand on his hip. _Little idiot! He's just going to get all of us killed! I've got to do something...but what?_ Sasuke stood still, Sakura looked over at him worriedly. _Oh, Sasuke._ She frowned. Sasuke looked over at her, her eyes were staring at Naruto. _It's not use. There's only one way._ Sasuke's eyes relaxed, his sharingan vanishing. "You can have it." Sasuke called out to her, "Hm?" She looked over at him. "Huh?!" I shot my head over at Sasuke. He dug into his pouch. "The scroll, right? That's what you want." Sasuke held it tightly in his hands, my eyes widened. _W-When did he?_ I gritted my teeth. "Alright then. Take it and leave us in peace." A large grin was plastered on her face. "What?! Sasuke, have you gone crazy, or what?! You're just gonna hand over the scroll to the enemy?! No way! What's wrong with you?!" Naruto shouted down at him, "SHUT UP!" Sasuke seethed, "What?!" Naruto clenched his fists. "Very wise, very sssensable." She hissed, "Sometimes the helpless prey, if they're out to save their own skins, realize their only hope is to distract the predator by offering something even more preciousss." She glared at him, their stares meeting each other, I shook my head. "Sasuke, there's gotta be something else we could do! We can't just-!" Sasuke grabbed onto my arm, pulling his closer to me. "What are you doing?!" I twisted my shoulder, glaring at him angrily. "Stay quiet." He commanded, I gritted my teeth. "Here. Take it." Sasuke tossed the scroll, "No!" I gasped, trying my best to break free from his arm. In an orange flash, Naruto had the scroll in his hand, jumping in between Sasuke and her. "Stop playing the damn hero! Just stay out of this and-!" "GAH!" Naruto shouted, punching Sasuke in the side of his face, I jumped away from him, Sasuke flew back onto another branch, Sakura gasped. Naruto gritted his teeth, blood dripped from the corner of Sasuke's mouth, he quickly wiped it. "You idiot! You don't know what you're doing!" Sasuke shouted at him, I looked down at the tree, Naruto clenched his fists.

"I may not know the password, but I know who I am. You're the one I'm not so sure about. How do I know you are who you say you are?" Naruto growled, "What do you mean?!" Sakura shouted from behind. "It's him! Don't be so stupid!" She shouted, shaking her head. "What sort of nonsense is this?! It's me, you loser!" Sasuke shouted at him, gritting his teeth. "Liar...Liar! You may look just like him, you may sound just like him, but there's no way you're the Sasuke I know!" Naruto glared at him, Sasuke's eyes widened. "I don't care about how tough a fight you've been through, surrendering, giving up the scroll, when did Sasuke become a coward?! You keep saying I don't understand what's going on but I do! You've chocked, that's what it is!" Naruto shouted, shaking his head as he looked away from him. "Sad, but true." She chuckled, her tongue sticking out as she stood back on her legs. "It doesn't matter." She called out, rolling up her sleeve. My eyes widened. "As far as the scroll goes, I could simply kill you and take it." She said, biting into her thumb, it bled. She slidded her blood down the large black tattoo on her arm, I slowly started to shake my head in disbelief. Naruto grabbed his kunai. "Let's see you try it!" He shouted, racing past me. "No!" Sasuke shouted at him, Naruto jumped up in the air. _Looks like I'm going to have to do this myself!_ Naruto gritted his teeth. "Summoning jutsu." She said holding her hands together, a large wind gust blew Naruto back. A large brown snake appeared below her, "Naruto!" I shouted, he flew back.

Kotetsu knelt down, birds chirped as the sun beated down on his back. "That is no way to treat a buddha. What do you think? It's some kind of ninjutsu, isn't it?" Izumo asked, looking down at the blood staind statues. "What ever it is, it's a problem." Kotetsu sighed, Izumo put his hands in his pockets. "And just when things were running so smoothly..." Kotetsu rubbed the side of his head, three corpses laid still in the grass. "We've got to report this. Go get the proctor." Kotetsu looked over at Izumo. "Right." He nodded.  
"Mmm. Nothing makes dumplings go down better than some sweet red bean soup. Ah," She took another sip, munching on a dumpling. "Nice. Hm, I guess it's about that time. Just as I finish this little snack, I'll see how the kiddies are doing." She shrugged, "The quicker ones must be finishing soon. I guess they'll just have to wait until I get to the tower." She pulled the last dumpling off the stick with her teeth, throwing the stick into the tree to her side. "There! A perfect leaf village symbol." She smiled, laughing to her self. Izumo looked up at her, she was sitting on top of the shack. "Pardon, madam, but there's a problem." Izumo sighed, "Hm? What kind of problem?" She asked, kicking her legs. "Corpses, three of them." Izumo nodded, "Come on. I'm trying to eat here." Anko grumbled, "I think you'd want to see them. There's something strange about them. "Besides being dead?" She asked, swallowing the last dumpling.

Anko walked over to Kotetsu, Izumo close behind. "I went through their belongings, found their identification. Ninja from the Hidden Grass Village. All three of them were registered for the chunin exams." Kotetsu crossed his arms, Anko's eyes widened. "But they weren't just killed." Kotetu sighed, "All their faces..." Anko whispered, clenching her fists. "They're gone." Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah, there's nothing where their faces used to be. Like they melted or something." He shivered, looking down at it in disgust, flys circled over them. Anko lightly touched the side of her neck. _No doubt about it. This is his jutsu...why is he here? What's he doing at the chunin exams?_ Anko furrowed her brow. _Wait! Could it be...!_ Anko gasped. "Okay, I need photos of what these three used to look like. Where are their ID's? " She asked, turning around lightning fast. "Right here, ma'am." Kotetsu handed her their papers, she glared down at them. _So these are the faces he stole..._ "We've got big trouble!" Anko shouted, "Huh?" Kotetsu looked over at her, his hands in his pockets. "Okay, get moving! Tell Lord Hokage exactly what happened here, and while you're at it, tell Anbu black ops that they need to get over to the forest of death!" Anko turned her back to them, "Meanwhile, I'm going to head in after these guys, now go!"

Naruto was gasping for air, I looked up at the huge snake. "What a tasty little meal you'll make for him. Careful, he likes to play with his food." She hissed, looking down at Naruto. "Naruto!" Sakura screamed, the snake's tail went crashing down on the branch, "Gah!" Naruto gasped, I was frozen still as I watch blood gush out of Naruto's mouth. "Aw...finish him off." She grinned, Naruto fell towards the snake, he growled. "Huh?" I whispered, feeling chakra rise up into the air. "Eat this!" Naruto shouted, kicking the Snake on the tip of it's nose, the snake shook, moving slightly back. "Huh?" She raised her brow, the snake hissed angrily, a large red patch on the tip of it's nose, Naruto jumped back, his fists clenched. "But how?" She squinted her eyes at him, his fangs started to grow. "AHH!" Naruto scremead, flinging punch after punch at the snake, Sakura's eyes widened. "Look at him, he's going nuts." She sighed, "And, (Y/N), they're just standing there, frozen. What are they doing?" Sakura asked herself. The shake flung Naturo off with it's tongue, Naruto flew back, bending his knees as he hit a tree, he jumped back towards the snake. She grinned, opening up her lips as she blew fire at him, "GAH!" Naruto screamed, crashing down on a tree branch. "There's no mistaking it." She whispered to her self. "Wow, was that Naruto?" Sasuke's eyes widened. "Now then, let's see how well you do, Sasuke." She hissed the snake shooting towards him, I jumped up into the air between them, landing in front of Sasuke, I gasped.

 _This is getting bad,_ Anko gulped, jumping from branch to branch as quickly as she could. _I've gotta hurry. I pray I'm not too late._

The snake sunk it's teeth into the branch, Naruto was standing in front of us, his kunai lodged deep into the snakes nose. I stared into the snakes eyes, keeping it there. Naruto was gasping for air, "Hey, kid. You're not hurt, are ya?" Naruto asked, glaring daggers at Sasuke. "You scaredy cat." Naruto gritted his teeth, Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared at Naruto. "Standing there like a frightened rabbit, no way, you aren't the Sasuke I know!" He shouted, her tongue rolled out of her mouth like a slimy rope, **tightening around Naruto's chest!** She pulled him up into the air. "No! Ew! Disgusting! Put me down before I yank this thing out of your head!" Naruto screamed, wiggling around in the air, saliva dripped down onto his jumpsuit. She pulled him closer. _Extraordinary, so the nine tailed brat lives._ She grinned. "I see," She held her hand out, purple flames ignited on the tips of her fingers. "When your anger is aroused, some of the nine tails chakra is releasssed." She hissed, glaring daggers at him. She pulled up his jumpsuit with the tip of her tongue, a large broken seal mark on his stomach. "Mm, the seal has even appeared on your skin." She looked down at it with interest, pulling her arm back. "Five pronged seal!" She shot her fingers into his curse mark, "AHHHHH!" Naruto screamed in pain, his eyes turning back to their normal blue. He fainted, his body hanging limp. _For twelve years, the seal has remained unbroken. Soon the boy and the demons chakra will be one._ She dug into Naruto's pocket, pulling out the heaven scroll. _But for now, he's just in my way._ She flung him from her tongue, "Hang on!" Sakura shouted, flying a kunai at Naruto. I caught his orange jumpsuit, pinning him to the tree.

I jumped up onto the snake, calmly walking over to her, my eyes wide with shock. "Hm?" She raised her brow, standing still. "B-Big O?" I whispered, her smug look dropped, her lips slowly parting as she looked down at me. "Big O, is that you?" I asked her, taking a step closer, tears welled up in my eyes. "(Y/N)..." She said, her voice slowly starting to change. Tears rolled down the sides of my face, I ran towards him, hugging my arms around him as I cried. "U-Uncle O!" I sniffled, he patted my back. "There, there, little one." He said softly, looking down at the top of my head. _Uncle?!_ Sasuke's eyes widened, he was paralyzed. "I thought-I thought..." I sniffled, rubbing tears out of my eyes, he knelt down to me, I started to shake. "So did I, little (Y/N), so did I." His voice was almost a whisper, _get out of there!_ A shout rang through my head, _I swear brother, you get your filthy hands off of my child! They belong no where near you and your twisted ideal's!_ My fathers voice boomed in my head like a speaked, my eyes widened. "I see." He held onto my shoulders tightly. "Then this is a perfect time."


	29. Past Memories Full of Hate

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the tears. _He's alive...he's alive..._ I sniffled, a smile growing on my face. _It's been so long..._ I thought, rubbing my eyes. "This is a perfect time." He called out, I heard his voice rumbled inside his chest, he held onto my shoulders tightly. "Perfect time?" I asked in a whisper, opening my burning eyes back up. "Yes, little (Y/N)." my eyes widened. "I will never loose you again-" "GAH!" I screamed as he stuck his fangs into the side of my neck, my shout echoed through the forest. It felt like two needles sunk into my neck, a wave of pain made me shake, my legs trembled. Two identical streaks of red ran down my neck, my skin started to bubble as a symbol burned through my flesh. My mouth was wide open in shock, tears rolling down my cheeks. "(Y/N)!" Sasuke shouted, his eyes widening as he saw me fall to my knees. Sasuke held his arm out, I was gasping for air on the ground, pain stinging through out my whole body. My eye lids felt as heavy as lead. Sasuke gritted his teeth. _Foolish little brother, you can't kill me, your hates not strong enough. You're not strong enough. Your life is too precious too you. So run..._ "No..." Sasuke grunted, holding onto the sides of his head. _Run away and live. Live with the shame..._ "No!" Sasuke shook his head, "NO!" He screamed, the sharingan reappearing in his eyes, staring him down. "So, it's finally happened. His Uchiha blood has come to a boil." He said to him self, preparing for Sasuke's attack. "I think I'll play with him a little, to learn the full extent of his powers. I am in a good mood today." He grinned, I was gasping for air, sharp pains in my chest each breath I took. _I must...stay awake...to fight..._ I struggled to keep my eyes open, my head falling down.  
Sasuke bit down on a kunai, _all I cared about was surviving in order to defeat my brother, what a fool I've been. I see the truth now. (Y/N), if I haven't the courage to face this demon, how can I ever come to face him?!_ Sasuke darted towards him, jumping up into the air. "Hm." He smiled, a gust of air coming from his body, Sasuke flung two kunai at him, he dodged them with ease. "AHHH!" Sasuke shouted, jumping off of a tree to give him momentum, he sent a flying kick at him. He dodged it with his arm, Sasuke bounced off of it, twisting in the air he sent down a punch, he moved out of the way as Sasuke landed back onto his feet. "Gnnnn!" Sasuke growled, sending a punch flying in his direction. I couldn't stop shaking as I watched them fight. "N-No..." My voice was a small whisper. "S-Sasuke...don't hurt..." I fell down onto my side, the pain was too great. _I've got to keep my eyes open._ I gritted my teeth, bearing the pain. _"You idiot."_ My fathers voice rang through my head. _"Running head first into danger like that, knowing my brother is dangerous. I warned you all those years ago, and I shall warn you again. Death waits at your door step."_ He lectured me, I laid down on the ground, straining my eyes open. _I...won't...sleep._ I repeated over and over again in my head. _"There's a reason I made you believe he was dead, he was trying to take you, did you know that? He wanted to use your kekkei genkai-hey! Are you even listening?!"_ He shouted, his hands on his hips. _I...must...protect...my friends._ My shoulders trembled.  
He jumped back in a flash, Sasuke's eyes widened as they followed him around, _I can see!_ Sasuke clenched his fists, _I can see!_ Sasuke quickly jumped out of the way, dodging his attack, he quickly made a hand sign, breathing fire in his direction. He burrowed under the tree, dodging the burning inferno as he came back up to the surface, swiping at Sasuke, Sasuke jumped back, catching his breath.  
 _You're good._ He smiled, _you anticipate my attacks and your aim is true. You can see my moves, can't you? Hm, interesting._ He squinted his eyes at Sasuke.  
-

 _The suns going down._ Anko sighed, standing on top of a thin branch as she looked out into the sun set. _I've gotta find him soon, my odds are bad enough as it is, it will only make it worse in the dark._ Ank clenched her fists, quickly catching her breath as she glaring back into the forest. _But why now? What the devil could he be after?_ Anko wondered, squinting her eyes. _No matter. He's here, it's time to finish this._

"Hya!" He shouted, sending another strong gust of wind Sasukes way, Sasuke dodged, he watched as it cut a tree in half. "Hm?" He looked up, Sasuke shot down at him from above, grabbing onto his waist, he twisted him in the air. "AHHH!" Sasuke shouted, pointing his head down to the ground, flying through the air. He landed straight on his head.

His body shook for a moment, his eyes dark as his arms fell limp to the ground, he stood on his head. Sasuke jumped off of him, watching him closely. In silence, his legs fell, he looked dead. Sasuke sighed in relief. "N-No...Sasuke...stop." I called out to him, but my voice was too weak to be heard. His head twisted around on his neck, Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched him twitch. He burst into a pile of mud. "Substitution-gnn!" Sasuke's cheek was cut but a flying kunai, he quickly jumped out of the way, dodging the kunai that rained down at him. Quickly he jumped off of the large tree and onto a smaller one, pulling wire out of his pouch, he spun it around another trees branch, swinging around in the air, the wires cut into the tree. Sasuke landed on a lower branch, "Huh?" He looked over to his side, he ran up to him, punching him in the face. "Gah!" Sasuke stumbled back, he grabbed onto Sasuke's hair, kneeing him on the chin, Sasuke's teeth chattered together, his head flew up as he fell down to the ground. "Gah..." Sasuke gasped. "Sasuke!" Called out, tears continued to spill from my eyes.  
"What a disappointment you turned out to be." He called out, walking closer to Sasuke, he looked down at his still body. "Your ancestors weep." A silent hissing came from behind him, he didn't hear it. Sakura's eyes widened. "The Uchiha clan should thank me for killing you. Silly little worm." Sasuke opened his eyes, the small paper bombs exploded. "Gah!" He gasped, stumbling towards the trunk of the tree, Sasuke grinned, quickly jumping up from the ground, pulling the wires he had strung around the tree tightly. "Gnnn!" He gasped, tied to the tree, the wires cutting into his flesh. "No...Sasuke...t-that wont..." I sniffled, my throat dry, another wave of pain hit me like a wall, my body was screaming for sleep, I ignored it. "Fire style, dragon flame jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, flames bursting around his body, traveling up the wires as they hit him. "GAHH!" He gasped, his face melting in the flames. "He did it!" Sakura gasped, looked down at me. "Come on, (Y/N)!" Sakura threw my arm over her shoulder, holding me close to her side as she jumped down to Sasuke. Flames burnt the tree, smoke rised up into the air. "Sasuke!" Sakura called out, my feet dragged as she ran towards him. "You did it!" She smiled, Sasuke was gasping for air, I gritted my teeth. "No..." I whispered. "Are you okay? Don't worry, it's all over." Sakura bent down to him, reaching her hand out to his shoulder.  
He broke through the wires, walking on the burnt branch, his skin peeled back, revealing his true face. "Gah!" Sakura gasped, I slowly slid down to the floor, unable to move. Sasuke and Sakura were paralyzed as he stared at them, holding them under his gaze. "No, impossible!" Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Such mastery of the sharingan at so young a age," His voice melted, turning back into it's normal self. "You're a true Uchiha after all. Yes, you'll do nicely." He breathed out slowly, "AHHH!" Sasuke shouted, straining against his restraints. "You're definitely his brother, if anything, your eyes are even keener than Itachi's-" "Who are you?! What do you want?!" Sasuke shouted, I looked up at him. "B-Big O..." I slowly reached my hand out, my whole body shaking. "Mm, little (Y/N), you're not looking so good." He chuckled, holding our heaven scroll in his hand. "My name is Orochimaru. But as to what I want, that'll have to wait until you finish this test." The scroll burst into flames in his hand, "The scroll!" Sakura gasped, frozen solid.

"First, you'll have to defeat the hidden sound ninja who serve me." Orochimaru explained, Sakura was staring daggers at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about! But if you're finished, why don't you beat it?! If we never meet again it would be too soon!" Sakura shouted, her pink hair bouncing as she shook. "Oh, you and I will meet again." Orochimaru grinned, making a quick hand sign. "No...!" I gasped, watching as his neck stretched out to an impossible length. _Move!_ I commanded my self, pain ricketing through my joints. Sasuke's eyes widened, Orochimaru hissed, sinking his fangs into Sasuke's neck, just as he had done with me. "Sasuke, no!" Sakura screamed, completely powerless. "Gnnnnn!" Sasuke bared the pain, Orochimaru's neck sunk back into place as Sasuke fell to his knees, grabbing his neck. "Sasuke!" Sakura cried out, turning her head lighting fast over to Orochimaru. "You! What have you done to them?!" Sakura screamed at him. "I just gave them a little parting gift. Very soon Sasuke and (Y/N) will come and seek me out, and desire my power. I already know you would of said yes, little (Y/N). But in the mean time, I enjoyed the demonstration of your power," Orochimaru called out to us, sinking back into the ground, chuckling as he left.

"AHHHHHH!" Sasuke screamed, down on his hands and knees. "Sasuke!" Sakura gasped, putting her hands on his back as he shook. "N-No...I won't...give in." I whispered, my arms shaking as I desperately tried to pull my body up. "What is, what's he done to you?!" Sakura asked, tears forming in her eyes. "Are you?!" Sakura stopped, Sasuke slowly got up onto his knees. "It's okay." She whispered to him, holding onto his arm as he screamed out in pain. "Come on! You're going to be okay!" She sniffled, "(Y-Y/N)..." Sasuke called out to me before he blacked out, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. "S-Sasuke?" Sakura quivered, holding his comatose body in her arms.

"Naruto! Sasuke and (Y/N) are hurt! I need you!" She screamed, tears rolling down the sides of her face. Naruto was passed out, the kunai still pinning him to the tree. "Naruto!" Her shoulders shook, her whole body trembling. "I dont..." She began, her voice a hushed whisper. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Before long, night fell. Orochimaru rose back from the ground, Anko ran as fast as she could. _I cant feel it!_ She gritted her teeth, running through the forest as fast as she could. _He's somewhere close._ She kept her eyes wide open, looking for any signs of him.  
"Hm?" Orochimaru opened his eyes, only his head stuck out of the tree as he relaxed. She stood in front of him, her fists clenched. "Well, well, Anko. It's been a while." He chuckled, anger bubbled up inside of here. "This is no time to reminisce, you're an S class criminal, top of the most wanted list. You've got to be taken down, and it's only fitting that I'm the one to do it." Anko stood her ground, needles fell out of her sleeve, she held them tightly in her hand. "After all, you're the one who taught me everything. Right, sensei?" She was staring daggers down at him, "Not quite." He slowly shook his head, his tongue unraveling from his mouth, it shot towards Anko. She quickly jumped out of the way, dodging the wet tendril. As she jumped up on the tree, the slimy muscle found her, wrapping around her arm as he pulled her back down, she made a quick hand sign. "Striking shadow snake!" She shouted, snakes shooting out of the sleeve of her trench coat, aimed at Orochimaru. He didn't move. "Come out of there!" She shouted, the snakes pulled the tree that Orochimaru was inside of, pulling him closer to her. She slammed him onto a tree, quickly pulling out a kunai, she stabbed it through both of their hands pinning them both to the tree. Sweat beaded down Anko's forehead as she gritted the pain, "Ha...I got ya." She breathed, glaring daggers at him. "Now, then." She began, "Let me just borrow your left hand." She grunted, putting her hand over his. "That hand sign..." He breathed out, looking down at it. "Right. It's over, both you and I are going to die here." She said, closing her eyes. _Ninja art, twin snake sacrifice jutsu!_ She held her breath, straining her shoulders back.

Orochimaru chuckled. "It's sad that you'll die alone, Anko." Orochimaru looked at her from behind, growing out of the ground. She gasped, her eyes widening. "That's right." He breathed, pulling off the rest of the burnt skin on his face, revealing his own, she turned her head around to him. "A substitution." He grinned, she looked back at the clone, it burst into mud, slowly sliding down the tree she was pinned to. "Of course, you're one of the elite now." Orochimaru chuckled from behind, she gritted her teeth. "A righteous warrior. How terrible of you to be using a forbidden jutsu like that." He walked closer to her, she pulled the kunai out of her hand with a strained grunt, throwing it towards him. He caught the kunai between to fingers, Anko's blood dripped off of it. "It wont work, Anko." He breathed, holding a hand sign in front of his face, her eyes widened as pain ricketed through her body. She was paralyzed, he walked closer to her. "Why are you here?!" She seethed, her whole body shaking. "I'm disappointed, I expected a friendly welcoming after all this time." He grinned, her chest shook. "Don't tell me, you've come to assassinate Lord Hokage!" She shouted at him, he slowly shook his head. "No, not yet. I don't have quite as enough followers to attempt that, but I've heard such good things about this village, I decided to make it mine." He tapped his chin, "Gnnn!" She gasped desperately for air, holding onto her neck as she slowly crumpled down onto the ground, the pain of her curse mark being too much to bear. "Oh, it's the mark, isn't it? I've put the same one on a couple of people just a while ago, they're both very promising prospects." He grinned, kneeling down to her. "You haven't changed, I see. They'll die before they serve you!" She shouted. "Possibly, I'd say the odds are one in ten against him, but my little (Y/N)." He grinned, looking up at the night sky. "I doubt they'll even be fazed." Her eyes widened. "It's sounds like you want them badly, huh? Come back to pick off the last of your family members?" She was glaring daggers at him, "Oh? Jealous, is that it? You can't forgive me, can you, for using you and then tossing you aside. It seems like they have even more potential than you had. You see, they've inherited the sublime abilities of the (L/N) clan." He chuckled, his smile widening. "And their physical condition is excellent, yes, they are the heir I'm looking for. At the very least, they make things interesting." He stood back up with a shrug, "Whatever happens, make sure no one stops the exams early." He turned his back on her, starting to walk away. "Three of my followers are also candidates, I look forwards to seeing how they fair." He disappeared into the darkness, but his voice still rung loud. "Bare this in mind, if anything happens to deprive me of my fun, it means the **end of the leaf village.** "

"Alright, that's enough resting up, I think. The other teams will be calling it a day soon," Neji played with a kunai in his hand, Tenten turned her head over to him. "And that means, it's time to strike." He turned to Lee and Tenten. "You know the plan, we split up and fan out. What ever happens, whether we make contact with another team or not, we meet up back here, at this spot." Neji stood up, flinging the kunai down into the ground. "Got it?" He called out to them. "No sweat." Tenten sighed, "Roger." Lee nodded. "Alright then, let's move!"

"Gnnnn..." Sasuke grunted, Sakura put her hand on his forehead. "At least he's breathing easier now." She sighed, he was laying on the ground. Sweat was beading down my face. _A-A little nap wouldn't hurt, right?_ My shoulders trembled as another shot of pain bounced through my body, "He's still got a high fever. (Y/N), how are you doing?" She asked, looking over to me, I was leaning against the cave's wall, my arm tightly wrapped around my stomach, my eyes closed. "I-I-I f-fell fine." I gasped out, a giant trembled in my stomach made me hunch over, a burning liquid filling my mouth. She frowned. _Looks like it's up to me to defend them all._ Sakura sighed, I puked out onto the grass, a thick purple soup leaking from my mouth. Sakura turned her head away.

Anko tied bandages tightly around her hand, she sighed. "I've already wasted enough time. I've got to tell Lord Hokage." She sighed, starting to walk out of the forest. "Hm?" She jumped, turning her head to the side as she heard a quiet rustling. She stared at the bushed, her eyes wide open as she prepared her self. A low growling came from the bush, she kept her eyes on it, watching a tiger stepped out. It's shoulders up high as it hung it's head down low, cautiously walking towards her, ready to pounce any second. "I don't have time for this!" She sighed, clenching her fists as she turned her head around, another tiger coming up from behind. A third joined to her side, their large fangs glistening in the moon light. The tiger padded closer, "Gah!" Anko gasped, her knees buckling as she held onto her neck, she slid down onto the ground. The tiger roared loudly as it fell to the ground in a large slam, her eyes widened as the other two laid down, their paws in the grass. "Huh? It's a paralysis jutsu!" She gasped, "So, there you are, Anko." A man called out from behind, she turned her head over to him. "Man, you Anbu goons took your time getting here, didn't you?" She seethed, looking up at them. "Well, there's no need to get snippy-!" His eyes widened as he watched Anko hunch over in pain, "Anko! Are you alright?!" He gasped, kneeling down to her shaking form. "What is it?" He asked reaching his hand out to her, he stopped, his hand hovering over her back. "T-The curse mark has appeared. But that means...Orochimaru?!" He gritted his teeth, his teammate took a step closer. "What?! Here?! No!" His teammate clenched his fists. "Hurry, get up. We'll carry you to Lord Hokage, if we have to." He looked down at Anko. "No, no. Take me to the tower!" Anko gasped for air. "What are you talking about? You know that we have to signal the alarm at the first sign of Orochimaru. It's more important than the chunin exam!" He exclaimed, "I know but...then summon Lord Hokage to the tower! I'll explain everything there."

I was in a haze, my vision misty as my body shook. Sakura had just fallen asleep, her head lightly bobbing up and down. Naruto and Sasuke were still out cold, sharp pains stung my chest as a drip of purple ooze dripped from my chin. Dosu was closely watching us from a tree, Zaku and Kin at his sides. "Found you..." He chuckled in a whisper. "Alright, just as Orochimaru ordered." Dosu looked over at his team mates. "We strike at daybreak, and remember out targets are the Uchiha and the (L/N)." Dosu reminded them. "Yeah, but if the other two get in the way, it's okay if we take em out, right?" Zaku asked with a grin, his arms crossed. "Of course." Dosu breathed.

The sun slowly started to rise, I couldn't move. Birds were chirping loudly, Sakura started to twitch, her eyes slowly opening. "Mm." She sighed, watching the sun rise into the sky. Dosu grinned.


	30. Bushy Brows Pledge

Sakura grabbed a damp towel, and folded it over her lap. She crawled over to me, wiping the purple from my chin with a sigh. She then turned back to Sasuke, my legs were shaking violently. She took a clean rag and poured a hand full of water on it, she then squeezed it out onto the grass before she lightly tapped it on Sasuke's forehead. He was quivering on the ground, slowly breathing in and out, his chest heaved as Sakura gently laid the folded up rag on his forehead. She sighed, sitting back down on the cool grass. "F-Father...go away..." I slowly breathed out, Sakura turned her head over to me, her pink hair bouncing. _Father? (Y/N) doesn't have a father, I wonder what's going on in their head._ Sakura sighed, her shoulders starting to relax. Her eyes drooped, she was starting to fall asleep again, but she quickly jolted her self awake, opening her eyes wide. _I can't fall asleep!_ She shook her head, looking up at the ceiling of the small cave. _I have to protect them._ Sakura closed her eyes.

Naruto sat up on the grass, yawning as the towel on his forehead fell into his lap. "Naruto!" Sakura gasped, "Oh, wow, I slept great!" Naruto grinned, stretching his arms. Sasuke sat up, taking the towel off of his forehead. "Sasuke!" Sakura smiled, her eyes widening. "Few, what a dream." I called out, crawling over to her. "(Y/N)!" Tears pecked at Sakura's eyes. "Did you take care of us this whole time?" I asked her, tilting my head to the side. Sasuke turned to me, a small smile on his face. "Thanks Sakura! We're all better because of you!" Naruto grinned, Sakura smile brightly. "I'm glad you're okay!" Sakura smiled, "Huh?" She gasped, turning her head to the side. Orochimaru was standing in the bushes outside of the cave. "Now you will know what it's like to be prey, running around frantically. And I will be the predator!" Orochimaru shouted, transforming into a snake. Sakura screamed, but no sound came from her throat. She turned her head to the three of us, Sasuke and I were happily chatting, Naruto was dancing around with a smile on his face. Sakura held onto her throat, _my voice is gone!_ "GAH!" She gasped.

Sakura woke up, sweat beading down her face. She quickly turned to Sasuke, slowly she started to relax again, I strained to open my eyes as I heard Sakura gasp, "S-Sakura...?" I called out to her, she looked over at me. "Everything's alright," She sighed, "It was just a dream." She smiled. "Hm?" She looked up at the sky, "I can't believe it's day time already-!" She gasped as she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her, _No!_ She shook violently, quickly grabbing onto a kunai in her pocket, she slowly turned her head around. "A squirrel?" She sighed, shaking her head as she watched the fuzzy creatched munch on a fallen acorn. "Oh, man, don't surprise me like that little guy." Sakura sighed, the squirrel started to run closer to the cave, Sakura's eyes wided. "No!" She gasped, standing up as she flung the kunai in front of the squirrel, it bounced back, running away into the bushed. She sighed, "That was close." She whispered to herself.

"I thought for sure that would work. Do you think she saw the paper bomb we put on the squirrel?" Zaku asked turning his head over to Dosu. "No, that wasn't it." Dosu shook his head. "Then what was it? What are you thinking?" Zaku asked him, squinting his eyes. "I'm thinking we need to go closer to find out. So, let's get going." Dosu chuckled, peering through the bushes.

Lee quickly jumped from tree branch to branch, he stopped on one, peering down at the forest ground. Leaves fell in front of him. Lee clenched his fist. _Okay! If I can catch all of those twenty leaves before they hit the ground, then (Y/N) will fall in love with me!_ Lee's face turned pink. _But if I cannot, then they will never return my feelings! That is the challenge I am going to give myself!_ A determined look crossed Lee's face as he thought of my face smiling down at him, his heart pounded in his chest. "I will show them I am worthy!" He shouted, jumping off of the branch at the leaves, quickly catching them all. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Yes! I am going to get them all! Gah!" He gasped, falling on a lower branch, it knocked the wind out of him. "N-Nineteen..." He gasped, leaves in his fists. "One left!" He shouted, watching it continue to fall. He quickly jumped after it, his finger lightly touching it, but he stopped as he head a loud squeak. "What is that?" He turned his head, his eyes widening as he saw a squirrel desperately trying to put out a fire on their back. Lee jumped towards it, catching it in his hand as he pulled the paper bomb off of it, "Few. That was close." Lee sighed, crushing the paper in his hand. The squirrel snuggled closely to his chest. "This paper bomb explodes after a certain amount of time, who would do such an awful thing?" Lee frowned. The last leaf fell to the ground.

"Alright, stop hiding and come out." Neji called out to them, his hands on his hips. Ino jumped, Shikamaru froze, and Choji bit down on the inside of his cheek. They were all crouched down in a bush. "Shoot! How could he of seen us, we hid so fast!" Ino whispered quickly, Shikamaru put his hand on the side of his face. "What a drag, now that he's found us out this is going to be such a pain!" Shikamaru whispered back to her. "It's no big deal, our hide and hang out strategy could still work! We just have to use strategy number two!" Ino held up two fingers, looking over at Choji and then Shikamaru again. "Whaaaat?! Are you serious Ino?!" Choji chattered his teeth, "You got a problem with that? Trust me, this plan can't fail!" She nodded, "Might as well try it." Shikamaru sighed, _if it doesn't work, then I might get seperated from (Y/N). What a drag, I only agreed to come here because they were here._ Shikamaru shook his head.

"Ah! Wow!" Ino squealed as she jumped out of the bush, Neji squinted his eyes at her. Shikamaru and Choji were at her side. "Imagine, running into last years number one rookie, Neji Hyuga out here!" Ino plastered a fake smile on her face, "Wow, can I have your autograph?" Shikamaru said sarcastically, "Oh, it's you guys." Neji sighed. "Yeah!" Ino smiled, _strategy two, when you fall head over heels with my beauty!_ Ino pulled out the rubber band that kept her hair together, it caught onto the breeze, flowing like a golden waterfall. "Hi there, I've been wanting to meet you for a really long time Neji." Ino giggled, "Get lost." Neji turned his back on her, shaking his head. Ino raised her fist, she was fuming with anger. _What?! He should of been pulled over by my beauty! Why didn't that work?! AHH IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY I COULD JUST HIT SOMETHING-"_ Did you just raise your fist to me?" Neji called out, stopping as he turned his head around. "Does that mean you want to fight?" He asked, Ino gulped. "N-No! Of course not!" Ino chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Tch, go away. Even if I were to steal a scroll from you cowardly wimps, everybody would laugh at me for it." Neji turned his head away, Ino ducked back into the bushes. Shikamaru and Choji followed, "Sounds good to me!" Ino shouted, going back into her hiding space. "Tch, they scurry off like cockroaches." Neji crossed his arms, _what a pathetic girl. As if some one as ugly as her could woo me, there's no way she could compete to (Y/N)._ Neji thought as he walked away from them.

They were gasping for air as they ran away quickly, Ino fell to the ground. _Just as I thought. Someone like him wouldn't take a scroll from people like us, thank goodness he didn't turn around and attack._ Shikamaru sighed, looking down at the ground. "Alright!" Ino shouted, tying her hair back up into a ponytail. "Let's go see if we can find some weaklings!" She chuckled nervously, her hands still behind her head. "I doubt we'll find anyone weaker than us."

Sakura was slowly starting to fall asleep again, I couldn't keep my eyes open. _"You've been toughing through this quite impressively."_ My fathers voice rang through my head, I ignored him. _"Sooner or later, the curse mark will make you pass out. I can't believe you were so foolish, hugging him? God, I can't even begin to tell you how idiotic that was. You think that just because he brought you some toys when you were younger that he was trustworthy? Orochimaru is nothing but a-" "_ Shut up..." I breath out, he furrowed his brow. "H-He's...a friend...u-uncle O." I was gasping for air in between words, father clenched his fists. _"After all of this you still think he's a good guy, huh?! Well, let's see where that gets you!"_ He shouted, fading away into the back of my head.

"Some look out, you're half asleep." A voice called out from behind Sakura, she jumped, I opened my eyes wide. "At least you don't have to keep watch any more, we already found you." Dosu called out from the front of the cage, I gritted my teeth, pain burning onto my neck. "Now wake Sasuke and (Y/N) up, we want to fight them." Dosu commanded, Sakura clenched her fists. _You'll never get them you jerks!_ She reached down to her pouch with a shaking hand, keeping her eyes pinned on them, "What do you want here? I mean, what do you really want? I know Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows." Sakura shouted at them, Dosu's eyes widened. "What are those strange bruises on their necks, you're behind those too, aren't you? And now you want to fight them when they can't defend themselves?!" Sakura screamed. "What in the world could he be thinking?" Dosu whispered to himself. "I can't stay quiet after hearing you talk to us like that. First I'm going to kill this girl, then I'm going to kill Sasuke." Zaku stood up, a grin on his face.

"Wait, Zaku." Dosu called out to him. "What? Why?" He gritted his teeth. "It's so obvious that this dirt has been dug up, and this type of grass doesn't grow in a place like this." Dosu lightly touched the ground, Sakura's eyes widened. "You know, there's no point in laying a trap unless it's actually hidden." Dosu pulled back the fake grass. "Ha, you're just a joke! You threw that kunai so the squirrel wouldn't set off that trap you put here, huh?" Zakue chuckled. "Now," Dosu called out to Zaku and Kin. "Kill her." He commanded, the three of them jumped towards her, Sakura grinned as she pulled a kunai out of her pocket, cutting a wire.

"A log?!" Zaku shouted as it came beaming towards them. "She also set a trap above?! Watch out!" Dosu shouted, putting his hand on the log, he blasted through it with a sound wave, Sakura gasped. "Clearly, you have no talent as a ninja. Some one like you needs to put in a little more effort don't you think-!" "Leaf hurricane!" Lee shouted, kicking the three of them out of the way. "L-Lee!" I shouted, "Gah!" I gasped, a large pain hitting my chest. "Wha-What's he doing?!" Sakura gasped, Lee stood in front of us. "Looks like you also need to make more of an effort." Lee pointed his palm up to the sky, his other hand behind his back. "Who are you?" Dosu grunted, staring his down. "I am the handsome devil of the leaf village, (Y/N)'s boyfriend, and my name is Rock Lee!" He shouted, my face turned red.

"What are you doing here Lee?" Sakura asked, looking up at him on her knees. "I will always appear, any time and any where (Y/N) is in trouble." Lee explained, the squirrel from earlier on his shoulder. He picked it up with one hand, bending over as he put it on the grass. "This is all thanks to you, little one. But now it is time for you to run along." Lee nodded, watching as the squirrel walked back into the bushes. "B-But we're your enemies." I breathed out, leaning closer, holding onto my aching chest. "(Y/N), I already told you. I will protect you until I die!" Lee clenched his fist. "Rock Lee, thank you." I whispered, ignoring the pain. Lee's face turned pink. "Looks like I have no choice," Dosu sighed, throwing his scroll over to Zaku. "Zaku, you can kill Sasuke and (Y/N). I'll take care of these two." Dosu nodded, Lee looked back at me in the cave. _It does not look like (Y/N) is in any condition to fight, they have undergo much damage. Who could have done something so cruel?_ Lee clenched his fists. "The guy with the bushy eyebrows is good at taijutsu." Dosu pulled up his sleeve, revealing his large metal gauntlet. "Looks like I get to have some fun." Dosu grinned, running towards Lee. Sakura gasped, weakly throwing her kunai at Dosu, it missed. Lee turned back to him, punching into the ground, he pulled up a large root from underground, using it to block us from Dosu. Dosu jumped back. "I am positive that there is some kind of trick to your attack, therefor, I will not waste my time trying to dodge it." Lee was staring daggers at him. "After all, I have seen your jutsu before." Zaku scoffed, putting his hand on his hips. _Wow, he's tough._ Sakura's eyes widned. "You're amazing Lee." I smiled, slowly starting to crumple back down onto the ground, my eyes closed. _My odds are not good, three against one, I have to take a chance._ Lee looked at all of their faces. _One at a time, I will attack each of them with all my might._

Choji was sitting down on a tree branch, happily munch on the last piece of strawberry cake he had brought with him. "Oh man, there doesn't seem to be anyone weaker than us." Ino sighed, "Not so fast, Naruto's team might actually be weaker then we are...if we can get past (Y/N), that is." Shikamaru looked over at Ino, she raised her fist. "Take that back right now you jerk!" Ino shouted at him, "What do you mean?" Shikamaru turned to her, "There's no doubt Sakura, (Y/N), and Naruto are lame, but there's no bad mouthing my Sasuke!" Ino seethed, "Yeah...whatever." Shikamaru crossed his arms, _there's no way we could beat (Y/N), they'd track us down in a heartbeat. Besides, they're too cute to actually attack. But if I could just see them...well maybe it would turn this whole day into less of a drag._ Shikamaru sighed. "Maybe your precious Sasuke is better in theory than in practise." Shikamaru turned to Ino, she was fuming, staring his down. "Alright, alright. I apologize if I upset you." Shikamaru scoffed, _what a drag. I say one negative thing about Sasuke and I get the evil eye from his number one fan here._ "There is no way Sasuke could loose a battle, ha, but Sakura's a different matter." Ino turned her head away from Shikamaru, her arms crossed. Choji continued to much, _oh, there's (Y/N)._ Choji's eyes widened. "Hey, (Y/N)'s down for the count, and Sasuke too. Heck, even Naruto looks about dead." Choji called out to them, he put his piece of cake down, looking from the tree. "Huh?! What did you say?!" Ino jumped up onto the branch, her eyes wide open, Shikamaru was close behind. "Wha-!" Ino gasped.

"He's late and he's never late. Lee is...well fanatical about being on time." Tenten put her hands on her hips, looking down at the ground. "Maybe he ran into an enemy." Tenten gulped, "You think..." Tenten's eyes widened. "No, I'm sure he's alright." Neji shook his head, _if he was down, that would leave one less person trying to block (Y/N) from me. But still, if he's dead than we can't complete the chunin exam and I might not be able to move on with (Y/N)._ "But in any case, we better go find Lee." Neji turned to Tenten, "Right." She nodded.

Lee looked down at the ground, he slowly untied the bandages around his arms.

 _The large log broke in half, Lee punched his fists into the air. "Yes! I did it! I've finally mastered the justsu, yes!" Lee shouted, jumping around excitedly. "That's enough, you're wasting your precious gifted youth!" Guy put his hands on his hips, watching Lee buzz around, laughing. This jutsu, in the end only Lee could make it his own. Guy thought with his arms crossed, a small smile on his face. "I did it! I actually did it!" Lee shouted, flailing his fists in the air. "Lee." Guy called out. "After all that practice, I finally did it!" Lee jumped up and down, a wide smile on his face. "Lee!" Guy shouted, "When I try hard enough, I can do anything!" "LEE!" Guy shouted at him, "Wow! I really did it! Ha ha-GAH!" Guy hit Lee on the side of his face, Lee fell to the ground. "Gnnnn..." Lee groaned, standing in his knees. "Now, listen to your sensei's awesome advice." Guy pointed at him, "Yes, I am ready to hear your amazing wisdom, sir." Lee sniffled, looking up at him with watery eyes. "This new jutsu, the lotus technique is now forbidden." Guy put his hands back on his hips, Lee gasped jumping up on his feet. "W-What do you mean?! Why?!" Lee ran up to him, his eyes wide open. "This jutsu, it puts a huge strain on your bodies muscles. It's a self sacrificing technique." Guy warned, "Huh?" Lee looked up at him. "Normally, the human body only uses twenty percent of their muscle strength. You understand, only twenty percent. If all the power were to be used, the muscles would disintegrate. So, the brain regulates the amount of power the muscles can exert. But this jutsu is different, it uses chakra which forces the brain to go past its limit allowing for dangerous high speed taijutsu! In other words, this jutsu relies on a secret technique that brings more power, almost to the limits of the human body, so you see, it's very dangerous." Guy explained, Lee nodded his head. "There's only one time this jutsu should be used, when a particular condition is met." Guy nodded, holding up his index finger. "Yes, I see! So, what is the condition, sir?" Lee asked, his eyes wide open. "You need to take this to heart. The condition is..._

 _Guy sensei, the condition has been met. I must use the lotus jutsu!_ Lee finished unraveling his bandages, Sakura gasped as she watched Dosu run closer. " **To protect the life of someone precious!** " Lee shouted, holding a hand sign in front of is face, Dosu's eye widened. In a flash Lee was gone. "He disappeared-gah!" Dosu gasped as Lee kicked him up in the air, he appeared behind him. "Not yet!" Lee shouted, the bandages on his arms wrapping around Dosu's body. Lee grabbed a hold of him, twisting him in the air, he pointed his head down towards the ground as they fell. Zaku's eyes widened. "Oh, no Dosu! There's no way he could break his fall!" Zaku gasped, making some quick hand signs. "Take this! Primary lotus!" Lee shouted, twisting both of them around into a drill heading straight towards the ground! "Gah!" Zaku shouted, shoving his fists into the ground. Lee stuck Dosu into the ground before he quickly jumped away, Zaku made the soil soft to break Dosu's fall. _Gah, what is this feeling?_ Lee gritted his teeth. "Ha, got you just in time. That in past could've been a lot worse for you." Zaku chuckled, Dosu jumped out of the ground, shaking dirt off of his head. "What?! This can not be!" Lee gasped, crouched down on the ground. "That's a frightening jutsu, it nearly took me out even though I landed on this soft dirt." Dosu stood back up, Lee was gasping for air. "Now it's my turn." Dosu grinned, pulling his sleeve back up. _My body has still not recovered from that jutsu!_ Lee clenched his fists as Dosu charged towards him. Dosu threw a punch, Lee jumped back to dodge, "GAH!" Lee cried out in pain. "L-Lee!" I cried out, barely able to lift my arm. "Your jutsu is fast, but ours travels at the sped of sound." Dosu glared down at him, Lee fell to his knees, glaring up at Dosu. "Effort by its self does nothing, now watch. We're going to show you something called the wall." Dosu grinned, Zaku and Kin chuckled behind them.


	31. Sakura Blossoms

Tears were threatening to spill, I couldn't move my body. Pain crept up my side like a spider, I gritted my teeth, my chest pushed down into the ground. I was paralyzed, a large clump snaked it's way out of my throat, I gagged on the pasty liquid, my stomach turning like a stormy sea. My body was aching, Sakura was mortified, she put her hand on my back hoping the little gesture would help. Lee was gasping for air, I looked up at him from the ground, his body was trembling. A drop of blood rolled down from his ear, "L-Lee..." I tried to speak, but all that came out was a pained grunt. _My ear!_ Lee held onto it with his right hand, it was throbbing. "Oh, I forgot to mention, this little gadget I have here." Dosu held onto his sleeve, showing us the large iron gauntlet, holes were burned through it with crack running across it's sides. "You might be able to dodge my blows, but you can't get away from my attacks." Dosu grinned down at Lee, holding the gauntlet in his hand. _What trick does Lee got up his sleeve now?_ Sakura gulped, her shoulders tensing. "I don't need to strike you with my fists," Dosu chuckled menacingly, "I can hit you with the power of sound!" Lee's eyes widened, "Sound?" He called out. "What makes it possible for the ears to hear, what is sound really?" Dosu grinned, his eye widening. "Vibrations." Sakura sunk her fingers into the dirt. "Give the little lady a prize. Yes, the vibration of the molecules in the air creates a sound wave." Dosu pulled on his ear lobe, I was in a daze, my sight blurring as I watched the scene play out before me. Their voices were all mixed up, like watching a play through a curtain. "These vibrations are collected by the ear and then your eardrum. The human ear drum ruptures when it's put into access of a hundred fifty decibels. More over, if the sound is loud enough to upset the inner fluid of the deepest ear canals, it becomes impossible for you to maintain your balance." Dosu grinned as he watched Lee shake, Sakura gritted her teeth. "Feeling a little dizzy? Nauseous? That's right. It's best if you don't even try to stand up for a while." Dosu shrugged, "You see buddy, that old school taijutsu stuff wont work against us." Zaku scoffed, Lee was staring daggers at him. "Not that you're not pretty good at it, it's just what's the point? Compared to our jutsu, that stuffs totally yesterday's news." Zaku pulled his hands out of the ground, slowly climbing back up to his feet. "You see, I can manipulate ultrasonic waves in the air pressure, I can do things you've never even dreamed of. I can obliterate boulders, or make the ground it's self as soft as a feather cushion." Zaku boasted, _so could I._ I would or rolled my eyes if I could. "Face it, little man. You're up against the jutsu of the future." Zaku grinned, showing us his palms. Two small metal hole's were bolted into the middle of his palms, his chakra poured out of them, moving the air around him. Sakura gasped, Zaku's grin widened. Lee gritted his teeth.

 _"Remember, this jutsu is only to be used as a last resort, and then only to protect some one very precious to you." Guy explained with a nod, his hands on his hips. "Right, some one very precious to me." Lee nodded back. "You've done well," Guy put his hand on Lee's shoulder, "I'll never get how quickly you were able to master it, you loveable mop top." Guy chuckled, tears welled up in Lee's eyes. "I'm proud of you, Lee."_ Guys words rung through Lee's head. "Now, it's your turn!" Dosu shouted, dashing towards the cave, Sakura jumped, quickly grabbing a hold of her kunai. "No!" Lee shouted, jumping in front of Dosu and us, "What?!" Dosu's eye widened as he saw Lee swing his leg around again. "Leaf hurricane-GAH!" Lee shouted, a large pain bent his leg. "Not as effective as before, is it?" Dosu shoved Lee away, Lee quickly scampered back up on his feet, Dosu balled his hand into a fist, shooting towards Lee. "Still, it's impressive that you can move at all! Looks like I have to do something about that!' Dosu shouted, punching towards Lee. Lee held his bleeding ear, blocking Dosu's punch with the same arm. A loud pitched ring came from Dosu's arm, "Do you hear that? This device amplifies the vibrations of the impact, transforming them into sound!" Dosu shouted over the ringing, Lee was shaking as he tried to push Dosu's arm away. "L-Lee...n-no..." I gasped out, Sakura was shaking like a fallen leaf. "The sound wave I can channel with my chakra and point all of it's energy to any target I desire!" Dosu grinned as he watched Lee fall to the ground, blood streaming down the sides of his face from his ears, "Stop it!" I screamed, gagging up another mouth full of purple, Lee was on the ground, toppled over on his side. "Now to end it." Dosu raised his arm, "That's what you think!" Sakura shouted, throwing her kunai at Dosu, he blocked it with his gauntlet. "Ah, I had almost forgotten about you." Dosu glared over at Sakura.

"T-These guys are scary!" Choji whispered, his eyes widening as he glared at them from behind a bush. Shikamaru clenched his fists, his shoulders starting to shake as he watched me quiver on the ground. "(Y/N) and Sasuke are down, and Lee isn't looking too good either. It's just Sakura alone against those guys." Shikamaru's eyes widened. "H-How in the world did they take down (Y/N)?!" Choji gasped, Ino was frozen solid. _I can't watch (Y/N) like that, I have to step into save them, but how am I going to be able to get past those three sound ninja?_ Shikamaru furrowed his brow, Choji gulped. "If we don't do something soon, they're toast!" Choji whispered back, his eyes wide. Ino gasped, her bottom lip starting to quiver. "You, (Y/N), and Sakura. You guys were friends once, right?" Shikamaru whispered to her, her shoulders shook.

 _The three of us were relaxing on a bench, we were only five. "By the way, Ino." Sakura called out, Ino and I turned to her. "Well, what is it Sakura? Why you look so down?" Ino asked, "Yeah, it's such a beautiful day out." I nodded, Sakura hung her head down. "It's just...I heard that you..." Sakura whispered, her hair flowing in the breeze. "Come on, what is it?" Ino asked her, Sakura looked like she was about to cry. "Well, is it true what I heard? You like Sasuke too?" Sakura asked Ino, "Huh?" Ino's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open. I froze. Sakura got up from the bench. "So...I guess that means we're rivals from now on." Sakura turned her head away from Ino, walking away from the bench. "S-Sakura! Wait!" I shouted, about to start chase after her. Ino was behind me, standing still. I was caught in between my two best friends. I shook my head, chasing after Sakura, leaving Ino alone by the bench. "Sakura!" I shouted._

 _Get a grip, Ino. That's all ancient history._ Ino shook her head. "Ino, we've got to do something." Shikamaru called her back to reality. "What do you think we should do?" Shikamaru asked her. "Why do you keep asking me that?! Why do you think I know what we're supposed to do?!" She whispered in an angry tone, her brow furrowing. "You want me to go out there and get myself killed?!" She gritted her teeth, Shikamaru turned his head away from her. _I mean, that's all that would happen._ Ino looked back at Sakura and me, her legs shaking. _I would just be in the same fix they are, what good would that do any body?_

"Try to catch these!" Sakura shouted, throwing shuriken towards Dosu. Zaku quickly jumped in front of him, extending his hands out, he flew the shuriken back towards Sakura, she held her arms up to her face, one clipping her on the side of her arm. Sakura fell to the ground, _"_ Gah!" Sakura screamed, Kin was behind her, she grabbed onto Sakura's long hair, keeping her down on the ground. "My, my. What soft and shiny hair." Kin grinned down at her, "But y'know what? If you spent a little less time shampooing," Kin shook Sakura's head back and forth, my eyes wided. "And a little more time practising your jutsu, you might not be in this fix." Kin looked down at Sakura, digging her fingers into her scalp. "Hey, Zaku. I know what would be fun. Let's make this beauty queen watch while you finish off that Sasuke guy, oh and that (L/N) one two. Hell, kill the blond one." Kin grinned over at him. "Why not? Sounds like fun to me." Zaku shrugged, his arms crossed. _You stay away from him!_ Sakura gritted her teeth, starting to move forward, Kin yanked her back by the hair. "Don't you even think about it." Kin grinned down at her. "(Y-Y/N)..." Lee called out to me, barely able to lift his head off of the ground. Sakura was shaking violently. _I-It's no use. I've got no strength left._ Tears fell down Sakura's scratched up face, she dug her fingers into the dirt, her bottom lip quivering as she wept. "N-No!" My chest jolted violently, my lungs tightened. Sakura closed her eyes, _I let everyone down again...what kind of friend are you?_ Tears ran down her face like a river. _Even now, when the others really need me, I cave. How many times have they saved my neck? You'd think that maybe, just this once, when it's life or death, that just maybe I could come through._ Sakura shook violently, balling her hands up into fists, holding onto the dirt tightly, but it slipped through her fingers.

"Okay, let's do this." Zaku grinned, walking over to the cave, I stared daggers at him from the floor. A purple mist filled the cave, Sasuke was still as the gas steamed out of his body, Shikamaru's eyes widened. "This thing's about to get really ugly!" Shikamaru gritted his teeth, _I've got to do something! To protect (Y/N)!_ Shikamaru was shaking violently, fear consumed his heart. _What do I do? What do I do?_ Ino watched as Zaku passed Sakura, the diabolical grin on his face widening. Sakura grapped a kunai from her side, "Huh?" My eyes widened as I watched her raise the blade. "Come on. It's pointless, that won't work on me." Kin rolled her eyes, watching as Sakura pointed the tip of the kunai up. "It's not meant for you." Sakura said through gritted teeth, peering at her from over her shoulder. Kin's eyes widened. "What the-!" Sakura dug the blade into her hair, slicing it off with on clean blow. Kin stumbled back. _B-But her hair...that was all for...for Sasuke._ My shoulders shook as I watched her head band fall to the ground in a small metalic clank. Ino watched.

 _I've always considered my self to be a true ninja. I claimed that I was badly in love with Sasuke. I was always lecturing Naruto, acting like I know so much more. I hated (Y/N) for being so close to Sasuke. But it's all just empty moments, because they're always in the lead. I watched them from the background. Why is that? Why do I feel like...the extra?_ Slithers of Sakura's light pink hair floated to the ground around her. _No matter what, they were always there, those three. Protecting me. (Y/N)..._ Sakura looked over at me on the ground, my eyes were on Lee, tears sliding down my face. _He did more than just say that he loved (Y/N), he proved it. He's not even their teammate, and he put his life on the line for them._ Sakura turned her head back to the ground, she climbed up to her feet. _All this time, you all have been teaching me something. It's about time I learned the lesson._ Sakura opened her eyes, clenching her fists. _No more caving. Now it's my turn to take the lead._ Sakura's choppy hair flowed around her, she was staring daggers at them. _No more watching from behind._ Sakura held the kunai tightly in her hand. "S-Sakura...b-be careful..." I whispered with a slight grunt, my head falling back to the ground. "Kin, finish her!" Zaku shouted, Kin pulled out her fighting needles, holding them tightly between her fingers as she turned to Sakura. Sakura made a quick hand sign. _Ha, I know that hand sign._ Zaku grinned, Kin darted towards Sakura, stabbing her needled into her back. Kin's eyes widened as Sakura went up in a puff of smoke, a log appearing in her place. "A substitution jutsu!" Kin shouted, taking a step back. Zaku held his palms out, chakra running to the holes in his hand. _Ha, you think you can fool me with a lame jutsu like that? Pathetic._ Zaku shook his head, watching as Sakura ran towards him, a kunai in her hand. "Kin, get out of the way!" Zaku shouted at her, she quickly scrambled up onto her feet, jumping back towards the tree they hid in. Sakura shot shuriken towards Zaku. "Pathetic." He scoffed, holding his palms out towards her, she continued to run closer. "Hope you don't mind if I return it to you." Zaku grinned, "Slicing sound wave!" Zaku shouted, a gust of air blowing the shuriken back to her. The shuriken dug into her body, but it was another substitution. "Okay, where are you now?" Zaku grinned, she was up in the air, making hand signs. "You really want to keep playing this? Cause I've got news for ya, I'm not falling for it." Zaku dug into his back pocket, pulling out three kunai. "Alright, if you insist!" He shouted, throwing them up at her. The dug into Sakura's skin, Zaku turned his head away, not realizing. "Alright, where are you coming from next?" He looked around, blood dripped onto his cheek. "Huh?!" The same Sakura from before came flying down at him, kunai in hand. _This time it's really her!_ He jumped back, trying to prepare himself for another attack, but he wasn't quick enough. Sakura slammed into him, knocking Zaku down onto the ground. He shouted, hastily moving his right arm in front of his face, Sakura dug her kunai into it, his eyes widened as blood sprayed from his wound. "Gah!" He shouted, Sakura shot her head down, sinking her teeth into his left arm, he cried out in pain. "What are you crazy or something?!" Zaku seethed, punching her on the side of head. "Get off of me!" Zaku shouted, Sakura bit into him harder. "Sakura!" I screamed, my chest shaking.

 _"Whaaaa!" Sakura cried out, tears streaming down her face. She was crouched down on her knees crying. I sat next to her, holding back my tears as I rubbed a large scratch on the side of my face, Ino bent down to us. "Hey, aren't you the kid they're always picking because you have such a large forehead?" Ino asked, looking down at Sakura. "W-Who are you?" Sakura whimpered. "Yeah, if you're here to fight, then bring it on!" I shouted at Ino, clenching my fists. "No, I'm don't want to fight. My name's Ino Yamanaka, who are you too?" She asked, I breathed a sigh of relief. "I-I'm S-Sakura..." She whispered, sniffling. "Huh? Hello, can't hear you." Ino sighed, looking down at Sakura. "She's Sakura, I'm (Y/N)." I told Ino, "Hm. So, this is the famous forehead, huh?" Ino asked, poking the top of Sakura's head. Sakura's eyes widened. "Wow, it is kinda big. So that's why you hide it behind your bangs?" Ino asked, leaning towards her. Sakura's bottom lip quivered. "That's dumb, it just makes it worse." Ino shook her head, putting her hand under Sakura's bangs, she gently pulled them up. "Makes you look like a sheep dog." Ino smiled, Sakura's shoulders shook, tears still running down her face. "So, you're Sakura, huh." Ino asked, standing up. "Uh huh." Sakura nodded, "And you're the famous prankster (Y/N)." Ino looked over at me, "Yeah, I guess so." I pouted. "Alright! Meet me here again tomorrow, I've got something special for you!" Ino pointed at Sakura, starting to walk away. We were four. "Huh?" Sakura mumbled, looking at Ino and then back at me._

"Some body get this crazy girl off of me!" Zaku shouted, I grabbed onto his arm, stopping him from punching her another time. "Great! Now there's two of them!" He shouted, staring daggers down at me, his blood stained my hands red. Sakura's eyes widened.

 _"There, see? What an improvement!" Ino nodded, finishing the bow. A bright red ribbon held Sakura's hair up, Sakura's eyes were wide open. "Yeah, you don't look half bad." I agreed, my hand on my hips. Ino giggled, "Mhm! You can keep that ribbon." Ino nodded, Sakura's face turned pink. "O-Oh, thanks." Sakura stuttered, clasping her hands together. "But..." Sakura whispered. "Huh? But what?" Ino asked, furrowing her brow. "My forehead." Sakura looked down at the ground, Ino raised her index finger. "Oh come on! I'm telling you, the more you try to hide it, the bigger a deal you make of it!" Ino waved her finger, Sakura gulped. "And your face isn't that bad, actually, it's a pretty good face! You just gotta be more confident!" Ino smiled, "C-Confident..." Sakura whispered to herself.  
"Hey, Ino! Who are those two?" A kid called out, "That's Sakura, and that's (Y/N)! Say hi!" Ino smiled, looking over at us. "H-Hi..." Sakura whispered, hiding behind Ino. "Hey...people." I gulped, awkwardly standing next to Ino and Sakura._

Zaku grunted, hitting me on the side of my face. "Gah!" I gasped, blood dripping down my head. Zaku was wiggling around like a worm on the ground. I was coughing violently, Ino was frozen.

 _"Hey, everyone!" Sakura shouted as she ran towards us. "Hm?" I turned my head over to her. "I've got something to tell you! It's a secret, you'll never guess who I like! Not in a million years!" Sakura giggled, waving her hands excitedly. "How about you just tell us? Actually, I bet it's Sasuke." I smiled at her, "Huh? How did you know?" Sakura tilted her head, her eyes widening, Ino jumped. "I saw you staring at him in class, that kids so creepy. I don't know how any one could like him. But do you want to know who's really cute?" I waved my finger at her, my face turning pink. "Huh? Some one cuter than Sasuke?" Sakura asked, Ino was staring at us. "Mhm! Naruto!" I nodded, Sakura shook her head. "No way! Sasuke's way cuter!" Sakura shook her head, I laughed. "Wow, what a change. Sakura's really come out of her shell." A girl whispered to Ino, Ino clenched her fists. "Sometimes I wish she's get back in." Ino huffed._

Ino was staring at us, her eyes wide as a pang ran through her heart. She was paralyzed as she remembered. I was smashing my weak fists against him, but it did nothing. I could barely move my body any more than I already did, the purple liquid was threatening to come up again. Blood dripped down my chin.

 _"Hey! You know what? I just found out that Sasuke like's long hair!" Sakura smiled, I looked over at her. "He does? I better cut my hair then." I grinned smugly, looking over at Sakura. She giggled._

A tear ran down Ino's cheek, _long hair...long hair..._ Ino thought as she looked down at all the hair Sakura had chopped off. _"We're rivals from now on."_ Sakura's voice rang through her head, she watched me run away from her again. _"Well, well. I see someone's grown out their hair." Ino turned her back on Sakura. "Look's like I'm not the only one." Ino turned around to her, her fists clenched. "If you think being on the same team as him is going to make him like you, you're wrong!" Ino shouted at her, Sakura was glaring daggers at her. "Face it Ino, I'm going to win." Sakura clenched her fists. "Oh, you think so? Sakura, I will never let you beat me no matter how hard you try." Ino seethed, "Huh?" I saw them from afar. "Hey, guys! Let's all hang out!" I smiled, running over to them with a wave._

 _Sakura..._ Ino was crying. _(Y/N)..._ "Gah!" Sakura gasped as Zaku threw her off, I was already on the ground, my face a bloody mess. Zaku was gasping for air, "Now you're gonna pay!" He shouted, his eyes wide open. Sakura turned her head over to him, _this is all on me!_ Sakura gritted her teeth, I was staring daggers at him, my stomach turning, _there's no one else. (Y/N) can't fight any more._ "Say so long, kid!" Zaku shouted, pointing his palms at us. "No!" Ino screamed, stepping in between us and Zaku, Shikamaru and Choji were at her side. "Huh?" Sakura's eyes widened as she looked up at Ino. "Ha, so what's this? The second string?" Zaku grinned. "Ino?" Sakura looked up at her from the ground. "Surprised? I swore I'd never let you show me up, didn't I?"


	32. Sasuke's Awakening

_What is this place? Where am I? Sasuke stared into the bright yellow light that consumed the area around him. A dark figure stood in front of him. Who's this? Where's (Y/N)? Sasuke gritted his teeth, his eyes widening. It's me...but from long ago. "Father and mother shouldn't of died!" Tears were running down his face, Sasuke clenched his fists. "It didn't have to happen!" He shouted, tears dripping off his chin. Sasuke started to shake, the image of his parent came back to him, he was standing back in the room. "They're all dead because I wasn't strong enough to save them..." His voice echoed around the room, his parents corpses on the ground, blood decorated the walls. "My whole clan has been destroyed..." He whispered, Sasuke looked down at his younger self._

"S-Shika-" "That's enough, (Y/N). Rest, you're in a band enough condition as it is." He whispered, turning his head around to me. "These leaf village worms will be sorry they squirmed their way into something that doesn't concern them." Dosu grunted, angrily staring them down. A bead of sweat ran down Choji's face. "A-Are you two crazy?! What are we doing here?! These guys are bad news, man!" Choji's shouted, looking over at Shikamaru and Ino. "If you're going to sit there and whine, then leave! At the very least, do something useful and get (Y/N) out of here!" Shikamaru whispered harshly down at Choji, Choji's eyes widened. "Come on, we're a three man squad. All for one, and one for all!" Ino nodded. "Yeah, what's meant to happen will." Shikamaru stared Zaku down. "This isn't teamwork, it's suicide!" Choji cried out, "Stop whining, you're getting on my nerves." Shikamaru sighed. "Ha, better a live sheep than a dead lion, right fatso?" Zaku scoffed, grinning down at him. Choji froze, his ear twitching. "Did I just hear that right? What did that guy just say?" Choji seethed, "Huh?" Zaku tilted his head. _Uh oh. He just pushed Choji's button big time._ Shikamaru gulped. "You want to try saying that again?" Choji gritted his teeth. "I said it's smart to get out while you still can, fatty!" Zaku shouted at him, Choji turned around. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING FAT?! IM JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY, OKAY?! AHHHHH!" Choji screamed, raising his fists as he glared down at Zaku. "That does it! Picking on (Y/N) and then calling me fat?! You'll be lucky to see the sun rise tommarow!" Choji shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Zaku. _Excellent, he's totally lost it._ Ino grinned. "Great job, thanks a lot. Now we've got to deal with him." Shikamaru sighed. "Don't worry, it won't be for long." Zaku scoffed, _I've got to get rid of these clowns, Sasuke and (Y/N) are my targets._ Zaku gritted his teeth. "Sasuke..." Sakura looked back at him, a purple mist was floating out of the cave. "Sakura." Ino called her, "Huh?" She turned her head around to her. "Your teammates are down. Look after them." Ino told her, Sakura nodded her head, grabbing ahold of my arm.

"Okay, team Ino. Lets show him who's boss!" Ino shouted, clenching her fist. "Formation, Ino," "Shika." "Cho!" They said together, Ino nodded. "Okay! Take it away, Choji!" Ino shouted to him, "My pleasure!" Choji shouted, clasping his hands together into a hand sign. "Expansion jutsu!" Choji shouted, in a puff of smoke he grew three sizes, "Leaf style taijutsu!" Choji stuffed his arms into jacket, followed by his head and legs, his chakra boosted him up into the air, "Human boulder jutsu!" Choji exclaimed, hitting the ground as he rolled towards Zaku. "You've got to be kidding me. Am I supposed to laugh my self to death?" Zaku scoffed, holding his palms in front of him. "Slicing sound wave!" He shouted, sending a strong gust of wind Choji's way. Choji dug into the earth, Zaku continued to push. "Gnnnnn, come on!" Zaku shouted, Choji continued to inch forward. "Huh?!" Zaku shouted, his eyes widening as he watched Choji jump up into the air. "He jumped the air stream?!" Zaku shouted, his mouth wide open as he watched Choji come flying down on top of him. _This things spinning way to fast! My sound wave can control it, and if I try to go supersonic on it, it could rip my arms off!_ Zaku gritted his teeth. "Huh? Zaku!" Dosu shouted, starting to run towards them. Shikamaru jumped in front of him. _Time to put you under wraps._ Shikamaru clasped his hands together, "Ninja art, shadow possession jutsu!" Shikamaru shouted, his shadow extended, catching Dosu. "Huh?! What's happening?!" Dosu seethed, frozen still. "Just me and my shadow." Shikamaru grinned, staring Dosu down.

Zaku flung himself out of the way as Choji went crashing down into the earth, chunks of rock flinging up into the air. "Gnnnnn!" Dosu grunted angrily as he put his hands on the top of his head. "What is it?! Why are you just standing there like that?!" Kin shouted, her long black hair flailing behind her. "Huh?" She looked over at Shikamaru, they were mirroring each other. He smirked. "Some kind of paralysis jutsu?" Dosu asked through gritted teeth, straining his legs as he desperately tried to move. Shikamaru twisted his hands on the top of his head, Dosu did the same. "Ino, I leave the girl to you." Shikamaru called out to her, "Alright, you got it!" Ino shouted back, "Just take care of my body while I'm gone." Ino clasped her hands together, "Sure." Shikamaru sighed, Ino stared Kin down. "Ninja art, mind transfer jutsu!" Ino shouted, slowly the colour from her eyes leaked, Kin froze. Ino's eyes rolled back into her head as her body fell limp on Shikamaru's shoulder, he held her arm tightly as he glared at Dosu.

Zaku jumped out of the way, Choji turned back around. "Enough of this! Kin!" Zaku shouted back to her, her head was down. "What's wrong with you?!" Dosu shouted at her, she was silent. "Ha, parties over fellas." She called out, holding a kunai against her throat. "Take it easy, both of you. One false move and your teammate here gets it in the neck." Ino called out, staring at them through Kin's eyes. "You don't want that to happen, so here's what you do. Just drop the scroll, and walk away." Ino put her other hand on her hip, Zaku grinned. "When you're far enough away where I can't sense your chakra, I'll let her go." Ino called out to them, they stared at her. _I don't get these guys, somethings wrong._ Ino's eyes widened. "Hey, Choji!" Ino shouted, "Coming!" He shouted back, Sakura turned her head back to them. "What is it? What are they up to?" Sakura's eyes widened as she watched Zaku extend his hand out. He sent a gust of air towards Kin, she was blasted back onto a tree, a drop of blood went down Ino's real body as Choji came closer. "This is bad." Shikamaru sighed. Choji turned back into his normal form, staggering around as he held his mouth shut. "I-I don't feel so good..." Choji gulped, Ino turned her head towards Zaku. "I don't understand you guys, what kind of monster would attack their own teammate?" Ino called out, "I guess, monsters like us." Zaku grinned down at her, "You see, we don't play this game by your rules. It's not the scrolls we're after, or even passing this test." Dosu called out to them, "What then?" Ino asked, "(Y/N)." Dosu's eye widened, a evil grin creeping it's way across his face. A shiver ran down Ino's spine.

Sasuke grunted, slowly starting to move around on the ground, sweat beading down his forehead. Slowly, Shikamaru's shadow started to draw back to him. _I hate it when it does that!_ Shikamaru gritted his teeth. "So, your paralysis jutsu has a pretty short duration, I see." Dosu clenched his fists, "Shadow possession jutsu, can't you get your jutsus right?" Shikamaru scoffed, holding onto Ino's shoulders. "Whatever. I see that your team mate is able to slip her soul into her opponents. Very clever choice. Anything that happens to Kin happens to her too, so if Kin were to die." Dosu grinned, "What are you going to do? Kill your teammate?" Shikamaru seethed, "Well, if push comes to shove," Zaku pointed his palm towards Kin. "Yeah." Zaku grinned, Ino's eyes widened. "Aw man, what a drag." Shikamaru sighed, "Yeah, no kidding!" Choji grunted, trying to heave himself off of the ground. "Did you really think you could beat us? Face it, you ninja are just a bunch of hacks." Zaku scoffed, "A second rate village." Dosu added.

"Ha, that's pretty tough talk." Neji called out from a tree, his arms crossed as he peered down at Dosu. Tenten was close behind him. "I guess that makes your village third rate, I wonder if any of you amatures are ready to take on the real thing." Neji peered down at him, disgust written on his face. "What?" Dosu seethed, all eyes were on him. "Lee!" Tenten gasped, her eyes widening. "You blew it." Neji scoffed. "Ha, these genin pop out of the woods like cockroaches." Zaku chuckled. Neji's eyes widened as he looked down at me on the ground, Sakura next to me. "Looks like some one used my (Y/N) as a punching bag." Neji seethed, "No one does that and gets away with it!" He shouted, his byakugan flaring to life. Dosu looked up at him, _those eyes aren't just looking at us...he can see through us!_ Dosu's shoulders started to shake. "No more playing around, Tenten! Full power!" He shouted back at her, keeping his eyes locked on Dosu. _That chakra,_ Neji's eyes widened.

 _"Everyone's dead because I was weak..." Sasuke glared down at his younger self, "I couldn't save them...if only I was stronger! If only I had more power!" He cried, Sasuke was frozen still. "Instead, you stood by and watched them die." His younger self called out, staring Sasuke down, his shoulders shook. "So helpless...like lambs to the slaughter...if only you were stronger. If only you had more power!"_

"Huh?" My eyes widened as I turned my head around, Sasuke was starting to stand up. "S-Sasuke y-you're awake-!" I froze, my lips parting as I watched him climb up to his feet. A dark, vengeful aura poured out of his body, a dark shadow crossed his face. Power surged through his veins, a pattern burned it's way into his skin. I was starting to shake, he took a step closer to me. "(Y/N)..." He called out my name, Neji glared down at him, eyes burning with hatred. "(Y/N), who did this to you?" He asked me, his fists clenching, I was paralyzed. "Who was it?!" Sasuke shouted, his sharingan peering down at me. _Those curse marks are all over his body!_ Dosu's eye widened. "S-Sasuke...what happened to you?" I whispered, my bottom lip quivering. "Don't worry, it's the power surging through me." Sasuke clenched his fist, "In fact, I've never felt better. He gave me this gift." I gulped, "U-Uncle O..." I looked down at the ground. "He made me understand what I am. I am an avenger, to follow my path I must have power, at any price. Even if that means to be consumed by evil." Sasuke gritted his teeth, tears welled up in my eyes. _I see, those marks. That was a curse mark, who'd of thought he would survive?_ Dosu glared at him. "(Y/N)...tell me. Who did this to you?" Sasuke whispered, his voice starting to soften as I looked up at him, my mouth closed shut. "That would be me!" Zaku shouted, pointing his thumb at himself. My blood stained my face. Sasuke turned his head slowly over to Zaku.

"Ino! Hurry up and get back into your body!" Shikamaru shouted at her, "You don't want to get involved in this!" He shouted, hiding behind a bush with the real Ino. "You too Choji, come on! Get out of there!" He shouted, "I'm coming!" Choji shouted back, Ino clasped Kin's hands together. "Mind transfer release!" She shouted, her soul slipping back into her own body as Kin fell to the ground. The three of them crouched back into their bush. "Shikamaru!" Choji whispered to him, "What's this all about? What's going on?" Choji asked him, "How should I know?" Shikamaru sighed.

The curse mark crept across Sasuke's face, his eyes were a burning inferno of hatred. "Wha-what is this?" Dosu was shaking with fear, his eye frozen on Sasuke. _This changes everything...his chakra is too big. Too powerful!_ "Dosu! What's wrong, you're not getting cold feet, are ya?" Zaku called out to him, Dosu shot his head over to Zaku. "No! Zaku, you don't understand!" Dosu shouted, "Watch this! I'll take care of the bunch of them in one fell swoop!" Zaku shouted, pointing his palms towards Sasuke. " **Supersonic slicing wave!** "

A high pitched squeal erupted from his hands, a wall of air smashing towards us, I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face. Sakura was paralyzed with fear. "Ha...ha...ha." Zaku was gasping for air, dirt picked up into the air. "What'd ya know? Blew em all away!" Zaku grinned. "Not quite." Sasuke called out from behind him, slapping Zaku away. He threw him like a rag doll, sliding on the ground. I slowly opened my eyes back up, I was on the ground, the cave far behind us. Sakura was trembling, Naruto still passed out. "Zaku!" Dosu shouted, Zaku was face down in the dirt, coughing up blood as he slowly climbed up to his feet. "Such speed...he got all his teammates out of harms way in the blink of an eye!" Dosu said through gritted teeth, Sasuke looked back at them, I looked up at Sasuke, sniffling quietly. Sasuke clasped his hands together, "Huh?!" Dosu jumped, Zaku by his side.

"Fire style, phoenix flower jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, flames went speeding towards Zaku. "I don't think so!" Zaku shouted, throwing his palms in front of him. "Try this!" Zaku shouted, blowing a small gust of wind at the flames, "Huh?!" He gasped as the flames subside, shuriken came raining down at him. "Zaku! Duck!" Dosu shouted at him, but it was too late. "GAH!" He shouted, holding his arms in front of him. In a dark flash, Sasuke darted towards him, throwing his leg around, he kick Zaku's shins in, he fell to his knees. Speeding around his body, Sasuke grabbed ahold of Zaku's arm, his foot on Zaku's back.

Sasuke grinned down at him, his eyes widening at he wrapped his fingers tightly around Zaku's wrists. _His chakra, it's completely different!_ Ino's eyes widened, Choji turned around, his hands over his ears as he shook. _It's fearsome, darker, can that really be Sasuke?_ Ino thought, her legs starting to shake.

"You seem to be very proud of these arms of yours." Sasuke called out, Zaku's back arched as Sasuke started to pull, kicking Zaku's back down with his foot. "No! STOP!" Zaku screamed, I watched, mortified. "You think you can do whatever you want? You think you can hurt my (Y/N)?! No one touches my (Y/N)! Mine, they're all mine, mine, mine, mine!" Sasuke shouted, pulling harder on Zaku's arms. "AHHHHH!" Zaku screamed, tears running down his face as his arms cracked, a loud pop rang through his ears as Sasuke continued to pull. Zaku's eyes rolled back into his head, his skin started to stretch. Zaku passed out from the pain. "Ha...ha...ha." Sasuke's shoulders shook, his eyes widening as he continued to slam his foot into Zaku's back. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed like a maniac, dropping Zaku's limp arms into the grass, he slowly turned his head around. "Now," Sasuke grinned ear to ear, laughter still rumbling in his chest. " **It's your turn!** " Sasuke pointed at Dosu, Dosu was shaking with fear, his eye wide as took a step back. "Maybe you'll be a little more fun~!" Sasuke breathed out, walking towards Dosu with a grin. _N-No..._ I shook, watching him walk away. _It can't be..._ Tears streamed down my face. "NO!" I screamed, with my last bit of energy, I lunged towards Sasuke. He turned around, his eyes wide open as I threw my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. "S-Stop...d-don't do it..." I cried out to him, "Stop...please..." I looked up at his face, tears blurring my vision. Sasuke put his hand on the side of my face, his gaze softening as he rubbed circles on my cheek with his thumb. The curse mark slowly started to fade, I couldn't keep my legs stedy any longer, I fell into Sasuke's chest.

"You're strong, Sasuke." Dosu called out to him from behind, he held his scroll out in front of him. "Too strong. We can't hope to defeat you the way you are now." Dosu gulped, a bead of sweat running down his face. Sasuke squinted his eyes at him, he held me close. Dosu put his scroll on the ground, "We'll strike a deal. I give you the scroll, and you let us go." Dosu jumped back, throwing Zaku over his shoulder. "We've underestimated you." Dosu called out, he grabbed Kin's arm. "But at least we found out what we needed to know. For the moment, we're even. But, should it happen that we ever again meet in combat, I promise you that we won't run or hide." Dosu turned away from us, walking in a different direction.

My eyes closed. Sasuke picked me up into his arms, my neck stung violently, I succumbed to the curse mark, my body aching for sleep. I slowly drifted off, Sasuke looked down at my comatose body, his eyes softening as he held me close. "Hey! Is (Y/N) okay?!" Choji shouted, jumping out of the bushes, "Ino, check out the kid in green." Shikamaru nodded to her, "Right." She nodded back, the three of them ran out from the bushes. Neji stared down at Sasuke, he was burning holes into his back. "He's touching my (Y/N)..." Neji seethed, Tenten jumped up, grabbing onto his shoulder. "Neji!" She called out to him, holding him back. "Let it slide, we've got to take care of Lee." Tenten nodded, Neji clenched his fists.

"(Y/N)'s in danger...don't worry (Y/N), you're hero's come to save you..." Naruto blushed, talking in his sleep. Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets. "Look's like someone's gotta kick him awake." Shikamaru shrugged, "Can I kick him first?" Choji asked, pointing down at Naruto, Ino walked over to them.

"I'm sorry...(Y/N)." Sasuke whispered down at me, holding me closer to his chest. Sakura looked over his shoulder, _Sasuke..._ She looked down at the ground, I was starting to twitch.


	33. Gaara's Cruel Strength

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed, sitting up on the ground, holding onto his knee. "Huh?" He jumped, his eyes widened as he saw Sasuke crouched over me, Ino was holding Lee's arm. _The grass ninja! "_ Quick! Everybody get down! Where could she be hiding?!" Naruto crawled around on the ground, "Naruto?" Sakura looked back at him over her shoulder. _It's about time that lazy fool woke up._ Ino sighed, shaking her head. Choji poked him with a stick, "Huh?" Naruto looked up at them. "Man, you're one of a kind, that's for sure." Shikamaru scoffed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And I mean the kind that gets on my nerves." Shikamaru looked down at him, "Gnnnnn!" Naruto was fuming, "(Y/N)!" He shouted, crawling over to me and Sasuke. He stopped, looking down at me. "Hey, what's wrong with (Y/N)?" He asked, peering over Sasuke's shoulder. "Go away, loser." Sasuke didn't bother to look at him, he slowly petted my hair. "Wha-" "It's alright, Naruto. (Y/N)'s just fine." Sakura put her hand on his shoulder, he turned around to her. "Huh?" Naruto looked up, "Sakura! Something serious happened to your hair!" Naruto gasped, pointing at it. "Oh, that's all?" She smiled, touching one of the rugged ends. "I just wanted to...to change my look. I like it better long, but when I'm out in the wilderness like this, and I'm moving around all the time, it gets in the way too much." Sakura smiled, "Hm." He nodded, Shikamaru and Choji walked over to them, Naruto turned his head to them. "So, what's your story? Why you guys here in the first place? What's going on around here? Why's (Y/N) knocked out?" Naruto asked, his fists clenched. "Explaining everything to you is going to be such a pain..." Shikamaru sighed, "Everyone...just showed up to help." Sakura smiled down at the ground. "What?" Naruto called out, turning his head back over to her. _Sakura's sure putting on a brave face,_ Ino smiled. Tenten jumped down in front of her, "I'll take care of Lee from now on, Ino." She smiled, Ino nodded, "Uh, okay." She passed him over to her, she violently jerked him up on his feet, shaking his around. "Come on Lee, pull it together! You little runt!" She shouted, knocking him around. He fell on his knees, his eyes starting to open up. "Tenten, is that you?" He called out, looking up at her. "W-What are you doing here?" Lee asked, still a bit woozy. "I came to help out, what do you think?" Tenten sighed, "Wha...W-Where's (Y/N) and those sound ninja guys...?" Lee asked, looking around in a haze. "Sasuke took care of it, don't worry about it Lee." Tenten sighed, "Really?" Lee turned his head over to Sasuke and me, his eyes widened. "Just what were you thinking rushing in there all by yourself? Look at you, you're a total mess!" Tenten shook her head, "(Y/N) was in trouble." Lee mumbled. _You've got to be kidding! He should've known he didn't stand a chance in front of all those guys._ "That was pretty darn stupid, don't you think?" Tenten slumped her shoulders, "Well, I guess I can't really argue with that." Lee smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Aha! I know you, bushy brow!" Naruto shouted, pointing at him with his tongue sticking out. "HEY! Knock it off, you better not say anything bad about Lee!" Sakura shouted, throwing a flying punch towards Naruto's face, Naruto went crashing towards the ground.

 _What in the world happened while I was asleep? Everything gone crazy!_ Naruto laid out flat on the floor. "Naruto's completely out of the loop." Shikamaru sighed, his hands in his pockets. "He's so far out of the loop, he doesn't even know there is a loop." Choji added.

Sasuke stood up, holding me bridal style, Lee watched him closely. "Lee." Sakura called out, "Huh?" He turned over to her, his brow raised. "Thank you. Because of you, I was able to stand up for myself, and because of that, I was able to become stronger." Sakura smiled down at him, he nodded. "Yes. I guess my efforts alone were not good enough." Lee looked down at the ground. "So, Sasuke. You are as good as your reputation. To chase off those ninja you must be very strong. Not like me, I just got beaten to a pulp." Lee turned his head away, Sasuke took his eyes off of me. _What's he talking about? He got beaten to a pulp? Is he serious? Are those guys really that strong?_ Sasuke looked down at him. "(Y/N), the lotus of the leaf village blooms twice." Lee called out to me, I twitched my nose. "Hm?" Sasuke squinted his eyes at Lee. "When we meet again, I will have become a stronger ninja. I promise." Lee's voice was soft as he smiled up at me, "Hmph." Naruto turned his head away, his arms crossed. "Hey, Sakura!" Ino called out to her, "Huh...?" Sakura turned her head over to Ino. "Come on over here, I want to fix your hair for you, okay?" Ino waved at her, eyeing her suspiciously, Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." Sakura walked over to her.

Sakura sat on her knees, Ino was evenly cutting the jagged strands of hair with a kunai. "That sneaky little troll, hugging him like that, curse you (Y/N)." Ino seethed, "Yeah, but it doesn't matter." Sakura looked at Ino from over her shoulder. "Huh?" Ino raised her brow. "Lee's (Y/N)'s boyfriend, Sasuke's still free game, well, not for long, that is." Sakura gritted her teeth, _but there's no denying it, Sasuke is in love with (Y/N)._ Sakura looked down at her lap, a ping going through her heart.

 _Sasuke Uchiha,_ Neji glared down at him, his anger starting to cool down, _at any rate, he's a strong opponent. I'll take him down, no matter what. (Y/N) doesn't belong to him._

"Grrnnnnnn..." Akamaru whined, quivering on the ground, Kiba was knelt down to him. "Hey, Akamaru, you okay?" Kiba asked him, softly petting the top of his head. "Is he still shaking? He's been at it for half the day already." Shino sighed, peering down at him through his glasses. "Akamaru..." Hinata bent down to him, worry etched on her features. "I don't blame him, not after what he saw." Kiba sighed, thinking back on it.

 _"Haha! I know we'll be the ones to survive this! Right Akamaru?" Kiba grinned, looking down at his furry friend. "Arf!" Akamaru barked in agreeance. "Of course, it's luck enough for us, that the people we caught in that trap hand an earth scroll. And now, we're going to be the first ones to reach the tower!" Kiba shouted with a grin, Shino crept up closer to him, hopping from branch to branch. "Don't get overconfident, that's a dangerous mistake to make." Shino warned him, "No matter how small a bug is, it still has to guard itself at all times. We have to make sure that we don't encounter any enemies, that's the only way to be safe." Shino explained, Hinata started to pick up the pace. "Yeah, I know that, Shino! But as usual, you've got to say it in a weird way. Bug nerd!" Kiba shouted at him, running in front of him. "Yeah...but...Kiba. What Shino said...he does kinda have a point." Hinata whispered, "Yeah, I know, just come on!" Kiba shouted back at her. I sure hope that nothing bad has happened to (Y/N) out here, Hinata sighed._

 _Kiba shot his head up, an unfamiliar scent making it's way into his nostrils, he stopped on a branch. "Hold on, guys, we have to stop." Kiba crouched down, waving his hands in the air. Hinata and Shino crouched down next to him, "Why?" Shino asked him, staring at Kiba in an odd way. "We're being careful not to encounter any enemies, right?" Kiba turned away from Shino, looking over at Hinata. "Alright, Hinata. I want you to check out a kilometer ahead, in that direction." Kiba pointed at the trees in front of them. She nodded, standing back up. "Here it goes." Hinata clasped her hands together, "Byakugan!" Hinata opened her eyes wide, quickly scanning around the area, she stopped on someone. "Yes, there's somebody there alright." Hinata nodded, Shino put his head down onto the tree branch, pressing his ear down onto it. "Sounds like there's six people." Shino put his head back up. "Alright, let's check it out!" Kiba grinned, "Huh?" Hinata jumped. "Kiba, what are you talking about?! We are not going to do that!" Shino glared up at him. "Why not? The proctor only said that we needed a heaven and an earth scroll, she didn't say we couldn't take more than that! If we take more scrolls, then there will be less going around. That means more teams will be cut out of the competition!" Kiba chuckled, "B-But!" Hinata waved her hands worriedly. "Look, at first, we'll just check it out, okay? If it looks too dangerous, we won't battle." Kiba nodded, bending his knees. "Now, come on! Let's go!" Kiba shouted, jumping onto another branch. "Uh oh..." Hinata whispered. "He's the kind of guy that even the hungriest of insects would avoid." Shino gritted his teeth, chasing after him. Sighed, Hinata was close behind._

 _The three of them hid in a bush close by, Akamaru was shaking on the ground. "What's wrong, Akamaru?" Kiba asked, looking down at him. "What happened? You just stopped all of a sudden." Hinata asked, her voice a soft whisper. Akamaru crawled back up Kiba's jacket, burrowing close to his chest. "Yeah, something just spooked the little guy." Kiba petted him gently. "W-What scared him?" Hinata asked, "I have no idea. Akamaru is able to sniff out the level of an enemies chakra, but man, I've never seen him this scared by it before." Kiba hugged Akamaru close. "Who ever those ninja up ahead are, they aren't normal guys." Kiba gulped._

" _Do you believe the nerve of these sand village kids challenging us head on?" A rain ninja scoffed, "Yeah, they're a bunch of fools." His teammate grinned. Gaara stared them down. "What's he thinking? He's way too little to bring down an opponent who's that big." Kiba whispered, shaking his head. Akamaru growled, "Huh?" Kiba gasped, "W-What did Akamaru say?" Hinata asked Kiba, "That that kids big trouble." Kiba sighed, Hinata turned back to them. They all look like bad news to me, they look really strong, Hinata thought, holding her hands together tightly._

 _"Too bad, kids. You should've picked your opponents better, now you all are going to die." The rain ninja grinned, Gaara's arms were crossed. "I've heard enough out of you, let's make this quick. I don't want to waste time on this guy, I'm looking for someone." Gaara sighed, "Tch." He gritted his teeth. We don't even know what scroll these guys have, Kakuro turned his head. "Hey, Gaara. Doesn't it make more sense to follow these punks and gather more information first? I-I mean, if they have the same type of scroll as us, we're just fighting an unnecessary battle." Kankuro called out to him, "I don't care. They looked at me the wrong way, so they're going to die." Gaara stared at them intensely, "Well, that's Gaara for you." Mikio shrugged, turning his head the other way. This is exactly why I didn't want to be stuck in the forest with him, Kankuro sighed._

 _"Tch, if you think you can kill us," The rain ninja grunted, pulling out a handful of large paper paricells, "Then try it!" He shouted, throwing the umbrellas up into the air. Kankuro took a step back, the rain ninja clasped his hands together. "Ninja art, sebon rain storm!" He shouted, "Hm?" Mikio looked up at the air, a rainstorm of needles? He thought, watching as a wall of needles circled around them. "Up, down, left, right. No matter where you go, I can get you. There's no blind spots in this jutsu, it's deadly accurate!" He shouted, raining down needles towards Gaara, he stood still. Mikio sighed, quickly pulling up a wall of stone around Kankuro and Temari. "Ha, childs play!" The rain ninja grinned, "Is that all you can do?" Gaara called out, still standing in the same spot. A cocoon of sand shielding him from the needles, "I-It can't be!" The rain ninja took a step back, "Not one wound. Impossible!" He stuttered, "Alright!" He gritted his teeth, clasping his hands together. He shot more needles down towards Gaara, sand collected them all. "Sebon rainstorm, huh. I've got an idea, let's make it rain blood instead." The rain ninja took another step back, his shoulders shaking._

 _"Man, his chakra's so powerful! And that sand...can you smell the odor? It stinks..." Kiba furrowed his brow. "O-dor?" Shino asked, looking over at him. "It smells like...like blood." Kiba shivered._

 _"H-He's creating a wall of sand!" The rain ninja exclaimed. "That's right. It's a defense, and nothing can get through it. He carries around all that sand on a gourd he has on his back, and when he's attacked, he uses the power of his chakra to harden the sand." Mikio explained with a shrug, his hands in his pockets. "It's a jutsu only Gaara can use, somehow it happens automatically, independent of his will. So any attacks against him are doomed to fail." Mikio sighed, "Yeah? Well, we'll see!" The rain ninja shouted, "Just face it. You guys can't hope to defeat Gaara." Mikio turned his head away, "Oh, give me a break." The rain ninja whispered to himself, dashing towards Gaara. Gaara slowly raised his hands together, that punks a dead man, Mikio thought, shaking his head. We warned you not to fight Gaara, Temari put her hands on her hips._

 _"Sand coffin." Gaara called out, sand slithered up the rain ninja's leg. "Huh?!" He gasped, as it circled around his chest, he struggled to get out of it's hold as the sand held his whole body in place, only leaving his face out. "I-I can't move!" He shouted, struggling. The umbrellas fell back onto the ground. "Let me go!" He screamed. "All I have to do is cover your big mouth, and you'll be dead." Gaara picked up one of the paper parasols. "But that would be too easy and boring." Gaara looked up at the parasol, I wonder if (Y/N) would like something like this, he looked it up and down, holding out his other hand. "GAH!" The rain ninja screamed, the sand slowly starting to crush him, Gaara moved him up into the air, small bits of sand falling down onto the ground. Gaara looked up at him. "Sand burial." He whispered, closing his hand into a fist. "AHHHHH!" The rain ninja screamed, the rain ninja exploded._

 _Slithers of blood rained down on them, Gaara covered him self with the umbrella. "Great, now it's ruined." Gaara mumbled, "There wasn't any pain, I used more force than necessary so it was over quickly." The other rain ninja were frozen, their teammates blood dripping on them. "The corpses bitter crimson tears flow and mingle with the endless sand, feeding the chaos within me, making me stronger." Gaara shook the blood off of the paracel, but to his dismay it stained. "J-Just take the scroll!" The rain ninja shouted, placing it on the ground. "Go on, j-just t-take it! P-Please, spare us!" He quivered, jumping back from it. Gaara threw the ruined paracel on the ground, he raised his hands, sand climbing up them like hands. Their screams echoed through the forest as Gaara crushed them with ease._

 _Kiba, Hinata, and Shino watched in horror as he murdered them all. "T-This is bad! We gotta get out of here, before he finds and kills us!" Kiba gasped, starting to run away, Shino and Hinata close behind. Kankuro picked up the scroll, a small smile on his face. "We got lucky, it's a heaven scroll. Now, let's head to the tower." Kankuro smiled, turning over to Gaara. "Just shut up." He breathed out, "Huh?" Kankuro's eyes widened. "It's still not enough...it's not enough for me." Gaara turned to the bush, Kiba froze. D-Did he see us? A bead of sweat ran down the side of Kiba's face. "Come on, Gaara, let's just go." Kankuro waved. "Why are you scared? Coward." Gaara looked back over at him, Kankuro walked back over to him. "Look, Gaara. I know this test is not a big deal for you, but it's dangerous for Temari, Mikio and me, one set of scrolls is good enough. It's all we need to pass!" Kankuro exclaimed, looking down at Gaara. "You can't tell me what to do." Gaara stared up at him. "Okay, that's enough!" Kankuro grabbed onto Gaara's shirt. "Sometimes you have to listen to what your big brother says!" Kankuro put his foot down, "It's too bad that I don't see you as my older brother. If you get in my way, I'll kill you." Gaara slapped his hand away, "Hey, guys, hold on. There's no reason to fight." Mikio took a step closer to them, Gaara stared intently at Kankuro, sand circling around his arm. "Gaara!" Temari shouted, he froze, holding onto the cork of his gourd tightly. "Alright, this time." Gaara plugged the gourd back up, turning away from them, Kankuro gritted his teeth. That's why I hate brats. Kankuro watched him walk away, Temari sighed a breath of relief._

"Haha, we're the first!" Kiba grinned, "No, I'm sure I sensed some one here a little while ago." Shino sighed, shaking his head. "More importantly, is Akamaru okay? Poor little guy's been so scared for so long." Hinata rubbed the side of Akamaru's face. "Come to think of it, what did Akamaru say before?" Shino asked Kiba. "Well, I guess he was trying to say that the bigger rain ninja was in trouble because that pipsqueak was gonna kill him." Kiba answered back.

"Just like I thought, there's no other place to go." Mikio sighed, his voice echoed down the hall, the three of them turned towards the front door. "We've already waited half a day, how much longer are they going to make us wait?" Temari sighed, the four of them stepped into the room. Kiba and Shino watched the four of them walk into the room, "Hm." Mikio turned his head to them as they passed, Kankuro smiled smugly, Gaara ignored them. _I don't know what that sand village squirt is, but whatever he is, he's too dangerous to mess with. He's bad news._ Kiba watched him from the corner of his eye. _Where could (Y/N) be?_ Gaara wondered, continuing to walk forward.

"This is turning into a real mess, but there's no way we can cancel the test." Anko sighed, sitting down on a couch. "What do you mean?" A member of the Anbu asked, his arms crossed. "Sorry to interrupt," Izumo called out, opening up the rooms door. "What do you want?" Anko asked him, she stared at him angrily. "We're talking about something important!" She gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry but, it's this tape. You have to see it." Izumo sighed, "What is it?" He called out, watching Izumo walk over to the TV in the room. Izumo placed the tape in the VCR, he pointed at the screen. "Okay, now, watch this. Pay special attention to the time." Izumo explained, Gaara switched onto the screen, Anko's eyes widened. "But that means..." She whispered, "Yes, these ninja stepped into the tower only a day after the test started, they've completely destroyed the record for finishing the second test!" Izumo exclaimed, "What? That's impossible!" Anko shot up from the couch, her eyes wide open. "Nothing like this has ever happened before, no one's even come close. Those ninja from the sand village are way above genin level, they beat the record above another whole day!" Izumo nodded, "I'm afraid it isn't just that." Anko shook her head. "I don't get it, what do you mean?" Izumo asked her. "It's ten kilometers from each gate to the tower, and in between are ferocious animals, poisonous animals, and not to mention the other ninja! Could they have really avoided all those things? Especially the red haired kid in the front." Anko shook her head, "What's so special about him?" Izumo asked, "I mean, you didn't see?" Anko looked back at him. Izumo replayed the tape, looking back at Gaara. "Look closely at his body, not one single scratch. And I haven't been able to spot one speck of dirt on his clothes." Izumo glared back at the screen, _not even I, no, none of the chunin would of made it to the tower with out at least getting a scratch, it's impossible._ Izumo watched the screen closely. "He must have some special ability, it's been a long time since we've had such a promising candidate." The Anbu shrugged, "But his eyes are pure evil." The screen switched off.


	34. The Scrolls Secret, No Peeking Allowed!

Naruto grinned down at the water, three of his clones behind him. A large fish slowly swam up the stream, "Mmmm." Naruto smiled, "Breakfast time!" Naruto shouted, standing at the edge of the cliff. "Bombs away!" Naruto shouted, jumping into the river with all of clones, swimming after the fish, his stomach growling. Sasuke stood at the rivers side, holding onto a couple of shuriken. Naruto swam around in his shorts, trying to grab the four fish, they jumped up out of the water, slipping through Naruto's hands. Sasuke quickly flung the shuriken at the fish, pinning them to the tree in front of him, the flopped around. "Gah!" Naruto gasped for air, completely soaked. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets. "Come on, is that it? I only got four. Now go and do it again." Sasuke sighed, Naruto glared up at him from the water. "What?!" Naruto's voice cracked, he growled angrily. "I could eat four fish myself." Sasuke rolled his eyes, Naruto slammed his fists into the water, splashing around. "Well, if you think it's so easy, why don't you get wet, and I'll stand on the shore!" Naruto shouted at him, his face starting to turn red as he shouted, anger bubbling up inside him. "Sasuke!" Sakura called out with a smile, Sasuke turned his head around. "The fire's ready to light! I could use one of your fire balls!" Sakura shouted, holding a stick in her hand. "Ugh, I've got to do everything around here." Sasuke sighed, turning away from Naruto. "You do huh?! What have I been doing?!" Naruto shouted.

Everyone sat around the fire, I was still asleep, my body still as I slept, my chest slowly heaving up and down. "It's already been four days since the second exam began." Sasuke sighed, the fish were heating up on the fire, he turned his head over to me. "Yeah, that's right." Sakura sighed, staring at the fire. "We sure not going to break any records." Sasuke shook his head, "We only have twenty four hours left." Sasuke scooted over to me. "I wonder how many other teams have already gotten their scrolls and finished." Sakura sighed, _I wonder when this fish is going to be done, I could eat a whale!_ Naruto grinned, looking down at the fire. Sasuke lifted me closer to his chest, _if we don't get a break soon, we're finished._ Sasuke sighed, he sat me down in his lap. _Almost ready. If I move fast, I bet I could snag the biggest one before the others get it!_ Naruto licked his lips.

"What are we doing? What are we chasing? There's probably no one left in this forest anyway!" A leaf ninja shouted, gasping for air. "So what do we do?" His teammate called out, the three of them jumped to the ground. "You're right. The other teams must of all finished by now." He sighed, out of breath. "Yeah, it's been four days. Anyway, we've been going since dawn, no need to kill ourselves." He sighed, standing up. "I'll go and try to find something to eat, you guys rest." He nodded, jumping back into the trees. They both sat on the ground.

"Hey," He called out, holding the earth scroll tightly in his hand. "Yeah?" His teammate looked over at him. "If I remember right, I think the other scroll, it had heaven written on it, and it was different from this one because it had white around the edges, right?" He asked, holding the scroll up for him to see. "Um, I guess so. I really wasn't paying too much attention when she showed it to us, there was this kid in the front...well, anyway, why? What's the big deal all of a sudden?" He asked him, his teammate chuckled. "Wow, you're not really thinking!" His eyes widened.

"We have to face it, there may not be anymore heaven scrolls left." Sakura sighed, looking down at her fish. "Well, that's a cheerful thought..." I yawned, "Hey! (Y/N)'s awake!" Naruto smiled between bites. Sakura looked over to me, her eyes soft. "That may be true, but this is the fourth day we've been out here." Sakura called out to me, I rubbed my eyes. _Thank goodness I woke up, I couldn't take any more of my fathers lecturing. "_ We've already used up eighty percent of the time we've got to complete the exam, only thirteen teams can pass because there are only thirteen pairs of scrolls." Sakura explained, Naruto passed me a slightly burnt fish, I took it with a smile. _Man, I'm starving!_ I smiled, sinking my teeth into it. "And then you've got twenty six teams, seventy eight candidates out looking for them. And if those odds weren't bad enough, things have gotten even worse. Don't forget that that creep Orochimaru-" "Hey!" I shouted, waving my finger at her. "Uncle O isn't some weird creep, he's actually pretty cool when you get to know him!" I dropped my fish in my lap, placing my hands on my hips. "Sure..." Sakura whispered, looking back down at the fire. "Anyway, the number of complete pairs of scrolls the could be found was reduced by one right there." Sakura shook her head, "Hmm?" Naruto looked over at her. "Not to mention all the ones that have been found and secured by other teams since then." Sakura sighed, her shoulders slumped down. Sasuke looked over at the earth scroll. "Maybe we gave ourselves too much time to rest and recover from our last fight. I don't know, but what I do know is that we've got to get serious now, to make up for lost time." Sasuke sighed, watching the fire start to die out. "The next enemy we face could be our last chance." Sasuke said, standing up. "(Y/N), you're looking a bit pale. I'm going to get some water." Sasuke turned away, a tall bamboo cup in his hand. "Thanks." I sighed, watching him leave.

Naruto sighed, grabbing onto the earth scroll. "Hmmm..." He mumbled, "Hey, (Y/N), Sakura. I know how we can do this without having to fight anyone." Naruto whispered with a nod, pulling his pants over, he was still in his shorts. "Huh?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Look!" Naruto pulled out his pouch, dumping a couple of scrolls out onto the ground. "Look at what?" I sighed, peering over his shoulder. "What do ya mean, 'look at what'? Scrolls!" Naruto nodded his head up and down. "I've got tones of them. Y'know, manuels on ninjutsu and stuff like that. We could change one of these to look exactly like the heaven scroll-" "Stop! Don't even." I shook my head, "Hm?" Naruto tilted his head. "Even if you could fake the outside, how could you fake what's written inside? Besides, it's just plain cheating either way you look at it." I crossed my arms, Sakura nodded. "Yeah, it's just stupid, Naruto." She shook her head. "But I've got it all figured out. I think these things have a secret code written in them that only makes sense if you put them both together! Yeah! And that secret code is like the password you need to get into the tower at the end of the exam! Get it?" Naruto asked us, smiling. "All I get is that you're a nimrod." Sakura clenched her fists, 'We've don't got a heaven scroll, so how are we going to be able to fake what's inside it?!" Sakura shouted, "Uh...oh." Naruto hung his head down, "The next brilliant idea you get, how bout keepin it to yourself?" Sakura sighed, "We've got enough problems." Sakura shook her head. "But wait. We do have a clue to what's inside of the heaven scroll, the earth scroll." Naruto picked it up, "No way! You heard what the proctor said, it's cheating! We're not supposed to look inside of the scrolls!" I jumped, shouting at Naruto, he turned his head over to me. "It's our only chance, I'm going to open and read this scroll!" Naruto nodded a serious look crossing his face, "No!" I shouted, punching Naruto on the top of his head. "GAH!" Naruto gasped, falling back. "Naruto, we're expressly forbidden from opening the scrolls before going to the tower!" I shouted, raising my fist up, Naruto held onto the top of his head. "I know, but if we don't do anything, we'll never make it!" Naruto sniffled, holding onto his aching head. I sighed, looking back down at the scrolls. Silence fell before us.

Kabuto watched closely from behind, his stare intensifying.

The leaf ninja held the scroll in his shaky hand, he looked over at his team mate, putting the edge of his thumb under the paper. "C-Careful, it could be booby-trapped or something!" His team mate waved, scooting closer. "Yeah..." He breathed out, looking back down at the scroll. "I thought of that." He gulped, digging his thumb under the paper, he started to lift.

Naruto looked down at the scroll, I crept over his shoulder, peering down at it. Sakura scooted closer. Naruto gulped, he looked back at me. I sighed, giving him a small nod. Naruto dug his thumb under the paper. He started to lift it up, I jumped, closing my eyes as I fell back onto my butt, my heart racing. "Wha-what?!" I gasped, dust settling. Kabuto's back was facing me, his hand covering the scroll. "Don't." He said sternly, Naruto's mouth was wide open. Sasuke turned the corner, his eyes widening as he saw Kabuto, he rushed over to us.

"I can't believe you guys!" Sasuke crossed his arms, I hung my head low. "If I haven't come along while I did." Sasuke sighed, "Sorry Sasuke." Sakura looked down at the ground. "Yeah..." I mumbled, Naruto puffed out his cheeks. "There have been others who had broken the rules and tried to peep at the scrolls, I've seen what happens to them. They're protected by a powerful hypnosis jutsu, a kind of booby-trap for those who tried to read them. It'll knock you senseless, and by the time you wake up, the exam is over." Kabuto sighed, tapping the side of his glasses. "Kabuto, right? You were the man at the registration." Sasuke squinted his eyes cautiously, "What are you doing wandering around all by yourself?" Sasuke asked, Kabuto turned to him. "Don't worry, I'm not after your earth scroll." Kabuto waved, "I guess not. I suppose if you were you'd just of swiped it from Naruto when you had the chance. So, you're looking for a heaven scroll too, huh?" Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, Kabuto shook his head. "Not really, you see, I already have them both." Kabuto dug into his pockets, showing us the two scrolls. "Awesome! You must of fought a lot of people or something, yeah?" I smiled, "No, not really. I just had some good luck. I was heading towards the tower to meet my teammates, so, if you'll excuse me." Kabuto nodded, turning around, I waved.

"Hold it." Sasuke called out, Kabuto stopped, turning his head back around. "I'll fight you for it." Sasuke glared at him. _"What a lucky break."_ A voice whispered from the trees peering down at us, unnoticed. "You'll fight me for it?" Kabuto grinned, "But Sasuke..." Sakura whispered, "Hold on a second! Is this a joke or what?!" I shouted, clenching my fists. "Are you serious?" Kabuto turned around to him, "Perfectly." Sasuke's eyes were locked on him. "Sorry, but I don't have time to play nice." Sasuke clenched his fists, "Back off Sasuke! In case you forgot, Kabuto saved our butts!" I pointed at him, glaring daggers down at him. "(Y/N)'s got a point, we don't want to be ungrateful or anything." Sakura waved, "Shut up." He grunted at her, her eyes widened. "Sasuke?" She called out, "It can't be helped. It's either him or us, out here it's all about surviving and winning, nothing else matters." Sasuke reached his hand down to his kunai hilt, Kabuto put his hand on his hips. "You're lying." Kabuto shook his head with a grin. "Uh...he is?" Naruto tilted his head. "Come on, admit it. For all your tough talk, your heart really isn't in it." Kabuto shrugged, Sasuke's eye twitched. "If it was true, if winning was the only thing that mattered to you, why would you challenge me to a fight?" Kabuto squinted his eyes at him, "Why announce it and put me on my guard? Why not just jump me when my back was turned?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses, "After all, that's what a ninja would do." Sasuke clenched his fists. Naruto tilted his head, his arms crossed. "Hm, that's pretty deep." Naruto nodded, "What?" I whispered, looking at him oddly. "That's okay, actually, I admire you for it." Kabuto waved with a smile, "Huh?" I turned my head over to him. "So here's what I'll do, I'll show you the path you should follow. But it's best that we go, let's get out of here. The smell of that cooking fire is going to draw every wild animal near, and not only that but competition too." Kabuto turned his head to the trees, "Huh?" Oboro gasped, darting out of the way.

"Think there are still other candidates out here?" I asked Kabuto, jumping from branch to branch. "Oh, yeah. Just think about it, what do you think is the most efficient way of finding scrolls in areas as large as this? To go searching through the forests for them?" Kabuto looked over at me, I was by his side. "Uh...no." I rubbed the back of my neck, "No. You wait for them to come to you. The tower in the center of the forest is the goal, right? So, on the last day of the exam, the area will be crawling with teams converging towards the tower with their scrolls." Kabuto explained, I nodded. "Oh, yeah! I get it. Like an ambush! So we just head to the tower, find a hiding place, and when a team comes along with a heaven scroll, we jump em and take their scroll!" I smiled, Kabuto shook his head. "That's one third of the problem." He sighed, "Hm? That sounded fine to me." Naruto crossed his arms. "You guys aren't the only ones thinking of this. Every other team that's lacking a scroll will be lying in wait just like you." Kabuto explained, waving his index finger, I nodded. "So what? More the merrier I say! Whoever they are, we'll take care of them!" Naruto shouted with a grin, "Ha! Wouldn't want this to be too easy, that wouldn't be any fun. Okay, so we grab someone else's scroll and keep those losers from grabbing ours, bingo, we pass the exam!" Naruto shouted, waving his hands in the air. "That's two thirds of the problem." Kabuto shook his head, "Well, at least we're getting closer. What else?" Sakura asked, her pink hair fluttering behind her. "Well, there's bound to be some collectors lurking around at the finish line." Kabuto said, continuing to jump. "Collectors?" Sakura asked, "Even when you think you're home free, you can't relax your guard for even an instant. This kind of example always brings them out, collectors. They gather extra sets of scrolls to use for various ends, for example, to bribe their ways out of unexpected situations, or to provide their village mates a scroll they're lacking. Some collect to keep rivals from enemy villages from passing, other's collect for their own dark purposes. They'll hang on to them to use against the stronger teams later, down the line. They'll be there alright, and they're bad news. Those who get to the tower would be likely to run into them." Kabuto explained, the lense of his glasses shining in the sun. "I see. I'm beginning to understand why you brought us along with you." Sasuke grinned, "Hm?" Kabuto looked over at him. "It's because you're frightened, aren't you?" Sasuke asked, Kabuto smiled. "You bet I am!" He chuckled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Don't worry, we're all here for you!" I smiled, punching my fists up into the air. "Yeah! You've got the world's best ninja by your side!" Naruto shouted, nodding as we continued on our way.

Night time soon fell upon us, crickets chirped peacefully while the moon loomed over us. Sasuke was close to my side, Kabuto on my other. Naruto peered over my shoulder, Sakura clasped her hands together as we looked through the trees. "There's the tower, and that means the end is in sight." Kabuto whispered, I smiled as I looked up at the sky. "Now comes the hard part." He sighed, "Well it's about time, bring it on!" Naruto shouted, punching his fist up into the air, smiling ear to ear. "Huh?" I turned around. "There's someone back there." I whispered, "Gah!" Naruto jumped, throwing a kunai behind us, it landed.

The kunai went straight into a large centipede's head, Naruto sighed. "Ha, false alarm. It's just a centipede." Naruto wiped his forehead, "J-Just a centipede?! That creepy things as big as a bus!" Sakura shivered, her shoulders sparking up. "Hey, Naruto." Kabuto sighed, "Hm?" Naruto looked up at him. "Do us all a favor and try to keep it down a few notches, will you?" Kabuto put a hand on his hip, Naruto tilted his head, a confused look crossing his face. "Just try to stay quiet, if we make too much noise, some one could hear it. It'll draw those collectors to us, and we want to find them before they find us." I explained, Naruto nodded his head up and down. "O-Oh, yeah, I see your point." He gulped. "Take it slow and quiet, let's use all the time we've got left." Kabuto warned us, I jumped up with a nod. Kabuto smiled down at me. _I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to keep this act up...(Y/N) looks so happy, what I'd give to see that smile turn, to see those cutisie little eyes bulge out of their sockets._ Kabuto clenched his fists, staring down at me with his smile widening. "Hm?" I turned my head to him, _is it me or is Kabuto starting to get a little...creepy._ I shivered, shaking my head. _No, I shouldn't be concerned with anything other than finding the heaven scroll and getting to the tower._ I nodded, turning my head back to the forest.

I was sneaking through the ground, listening to the quiet vibrations of the land above me, I clasped my hands together, focusing. Sakura was cautiously walking through tall grass, taking each step more slowly than the next. Sasuke crept along a small streams shore, crouched down at he watched for any signs of movement. Kabuto was crouched down, his chakra hiding him as he backed up against a tree. _Now this is more like it._ He quickly jumped from branch to branch, "Hm?" He mumbled, looking over to his side, Naruto grunted. Naruto was trapped in a bunch of vine, struggling to untie himself. I shook my head with a sigh, "Well, that's Naruto for ya." I whispered, crossing my arms.

"Okay, we're getting closer." Kabuto whispered, staring at the tower. I looked over his shoulder, the moon had risen some. The five of us continued to walk, "Hm?" I stopped on the dirt path, a piece of rope dangled in my face. _Some kind of...trap?_ I wondered, scratching the top of my head. "But...it's so obvious." I whispered, crossing my arms. "Not for them." Kabuto put his hand on my shoulder, looking up at into the trees. "Huh?" I gasped, I jumped back into Kabuto's chest. "Sorry!" I waved, stepping over to his side. "A trap, huh." Sasuke looked over at Kabuto, his stare intensifying. "Yeah, and it only gets worse from here on out." Kabuto sighed, continuing to walk down the path. _That look on (Y/N)'s face..._ Kabuto grinned down at himself, everyone else also started to move on, I stayed for a second looking up at the tree. Three mingled corpses were strewn about, rope loosely connecting them. "Hm." I looked away, continuing to walk. As I picked up my right foot, something caught onto it, I looked down, starting to fall forward. "Huh?!" I shouted, a loud swoosh came from both of my sides. "Look out!" Kabuto shouted, throwing himself over to me. "AHHHH!" I shrieked, falling backwards, kunai stuck into Kabuto's back as he fell to the ground. "Kabuto! No!" I shouted, crawling over on my knees to him, "Huh?" In a puff of smoke, a log layed on the ground. "S-Substitution." I sighed a breath of relief, looking around. Kabuto stared down at me from a tree branch, holding onto the side of his glasses as he peered down at me, his grin widening. _That look of surprise...the fear mixed with excitement...their_ _ **eyes.**_ Kabuto held onto his frames tightly, they started to dent under the pressure of his fingers. _If only I could get them alone...their fear is beautiful. Just imagine..._ _ **the taste.**_

"Well, that was close." Kabuto's voice rolled, I looked up at the trees. "Like I told you, it only gets worse from here on out." Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Sasuke was staring at him awkwardly, the tension between them quickly picked up as we started to walk again. It felt like we had been walking for hours. "Ha...ha...ha..." Sakura panted, falling to her knees. "For crying out loud." She whined, "Sakura?" I looked down at her. "How far have we walked?" She looked down at the ground, I knelt to her. "That tower's not getting any closer." She sighed, looking up at it. "Now that you mention it, I was thinking that too." I nodded, Naruto put his hands on his hips, stopping next to us. "Yeah, it's weird." He scratched the top of his head. _Maybe not._ Sasuke thought, looking around cautiously. "It would seem that we have been spotted. Someone is playing games with us. Look." Kabuto pointed behind us, "Ring a bell?" He squinted his eyes. "Huh?" Naruto twisted his head around, "Oh man, no way! It can't be!" Naruto shouted, we looked back at the centipede pinned to the tree. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" Naruto stomped his foot into the ground, "W-What's going on?" Sakura asked, her eyes widening. "Some sort of genjutsu?" I asked Kabuto, "That's what it looks like. And we fell for it completely. We were so concerned by not being seen by any one, we didn't see that we were walking around in circles." Kabuto sighed, fixing his glasses. "What's there game?" Sasuke asked, his arms crossed. "They're probably trying to wear us down and then strike when we're frustrated and physically exhausted." Kabuto explained with a nod, "You mean, like we are right now." Sasuke took a step closer to me, Kabuto squinted his eyes at him. "Right..." He mumbled.

"Huh?!" Naruto exclaimed, "Wha..." I gasped, watching as the trees started to bubble. Clones popped out from the bark, I reached towards my pocket, pulling a kunai out quickly, Sasuke's shoulder touched mine, Kabuto was staring at him with an angry look. Naruto took a step closer to my other side, Sakura jumping towards Sasuke. The clones started to circle us.


	35. Clone VS Clone

"Well, Naruto. You wanted a fight." I smiled, turning my head over to him. "Five against fifty, just the way I like it. Believe it!" Naruto grinned. "What are they?" Sakura stammered, looking around as more popped out around us. "Clones, from the look of it. And a whole lot of them." Kabuto looked back at Sakura, I tightened my grip around my kunai. "Ha, like cornered rats." A clone chuckled from behind, I glared at it from over my shoulder. "Oh, yeah?! Cornered rats, are we?!" Naruto shouted furiously, dashing towards the clone. He threw a strong punch into it's stomach, the clone bent over his arm. _Well, whatever it is, it sure cant take a punch._ I grinned, "That's showin em! Way to go!" I shouted, clenching my fists. Naruto turned his head back to me with a smile, "Huh?" My eyes widened as I watched Naruto's arm sink into the clones body, "Wha...!" Naruto gasped, falling through the clone, ink staining the sleeve of his jacket. Naruto fell back on his butt. _What are they?_ Sasuke watched the clones intently. The clone started to shake, it's torso melting as another head popped out of it's side. "I just touched him, and he turned to mush!" Naruto shouted back at us. A kunai appeared in it's hand as he crawled out of the old clones body. _What's really going on here?_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, _sharingan!_ His eyes turned crimson red, I turned my head over to Sasuke. "Naruto!" He shouted, "Huh!" I turned my head over, the clone was about to stab a kunai in his back. "Look out!" I shouted, throwing a kunai into the clones arm. It broke off into the grass, ink sliding back towards the clone. The clone twisted back to me, pointing the kunai towards me. I raised my fists, but a twinge in my neck stopped me. "Gah!" I gasped, my body frozen. "(Y/N)!" Naruto shouted back at me, the clone flung the kunai towards me. I couldn't move. _What the hell is going on?!_ I gritted my teeth, my neck stinging. _No, why is the mark hurting again?! Why now?!_ "Get down!" Kabuto shouted, I hit his chest as we went down to the ground, the kunai grazing his arm. A drop of his blood dripped onto my shoulder. _What's going on?! I can't move my body!_ I layed down on the ground, staring up at the sky. "(Y/N)..." Sasuke knelt down to me, he held onto my back as he sat me up on the ground. Kabuto held onto his arm, picking the kunai up off the ground. _It's obvious this things real enough, no illusion here._ Kabuto looked down at the knife, _this isn't a good time for the mark to be acting up._ "Surender the scroll, surrender the scroll, surrender the scroll." The clones chanted around us. "The fact that Kabuto got scratched means that these are real shadow clones. But shadow clones are supposed to vanish when you hit them with a good shot, these things don't. So what the heck are we dealing with, some kind of genjutsu?!" Naruto shouted over the clones, looking back at us. Naruto held onto his kunai tightly, " **Surrender the scroll!** " They continued to chant, "Come and get it-" "It's no use, save it!" Sasuke shouted at Naruto, "Gnnnnn!" Naruto growled angrily, "You'll only be fighting illusions. It's genjutsu alright." Sasuke's breath turned shallow, I looked over at him. "Illusions? But how? That gash on Kabuto's arm is real enough!" Sakura exclaimed, looking down at Sasuke worriedly. "That's true, but still, Sasuke's right. It could be that the real one is hiding some where near by, launching real attacks behind a smoke screen of illusion, coordinating these clones attacks so that we're fooled into believing these genjutsu shinobis are the ones attacking us." Kabuto looked around at the sea of clones, Naruto fumed. "Well, whatever they are, what are we going to do?! Just stand here?! Let's go find these clowns and take care of em!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fists. "Hold on, Naruto. They'd like nothing better than for us to go searching for them blindly through the forest while they sit back and take us out. One by one, we'd be making there job easy for them." Kabuto warned us, Naruto froze in his tracks. "I know this kind of attack, the kind who use it do so because they're weak in taijutsu and are afraid of close hand to hand combat, according to my data. We've got no choice. All we can do is hold our ground and fend off there attacks." Kabuto explained, his glasses shining in the moonlight. "Okay, fine, whatever. Let's just do it." Naruto answered back, holding his kunai in front of his chest.

"Ha, hold long do you think they can hold out?" Mubi asked, turning his head over to Oboro. "The night is young." Kagari chuckled, Oboro watched us intently.

The clones threw more kunai towards us, I climbed back up to my feet, dodging their attacks clumsily. Kabuto swiftly dodged the kunai, Sakura was gasping for air. "How long is this going to go on?" Sakura whined, "Okay, this isn't gonna work." Naruto clasped his hands together, "No, it's pointless. You'll only waste your chakra. By trying to fight these things, you'd be doing just what they want." Kabuto shook his head, Naruto held his hand sign together, I took a step closer to him. "I don't know, but I'm about fed up with these clones too!" I clenched my fists, Naruto nodded. "If we were to eliminate all the illusions, whoever's casting them won't be able to hurrle kunai at us without us being able to see where they're hiding! I'll show em two can play at this game! Shadow clone jutsu!" He shouted, smoke rising up around him as his clones popped up around us. "Hm, Shadow clones." Oboro whispered, watching as they charged towards his own clones.

Ink splattered on the floor, Naruto was punching everything he came across. The ink shifted, more of Oboro's clones rose out of the ink, Naruto gritted his teeth. "Back for more, huh?! Okay!" Naruto screamed, turning around as he punched through another clone. "We have to help him!" I shouted, "Jerk, he's given us no choice. We've got to now." Sasuke gritted his teeth, "Well then..." Sakura sighed. "You're right, he's going to need us. That's that, we fight!" Kabuto shouted, charging towards the clones. "Come on guys!" I shouted, dashing towards the closest clone, I dug into it's chest with my kunai, ink splattering to the ground. "Woohoo!" I shouted, laughing as I slashed through more clones.

"Ha...ha...ha." I was gasping for air, my legs shaking as I fell down to the ground, sweat beaded down my forehead. "Ugh..." Sakura fell on o her butt. "Gah!" Naruto shouted, flying back through the air, he skidded on the dirt, Kabuto's back hit a tree, Sasuke was close by me. "I-I was just warming up!" Naruto shouted from the ground.

"The sun is coming up...time to move in for the kill." Mubi whispered to his team mates, "I think you're right, Mubi." Kagari breathed, "We've crushed their spirits, now all that's left is their bodies." Kagari grinned through his mask, the ink clones started to disappear, ink splashing on the ground as the three appeared in front of us. "Lucky us." Oboro glared down at Sasuke. "You...I know you! You're the one who cut me on the shoulder! That really messed me up, ya know?" Oboro seethed, raising a kunai up to his chest. "Oh well, now I can finally pay you back. With interest. " Oboro grinned down at him. "Heh." Naruto smiled up at him. "What?!" Oboro looked over at him.

"Well, well. Now who's the cornered rat?" Sasuke called out from behind them. "Ha, works like a charm, Naruto." I chuckled, staring at there backs. "Huh?! What, it can't be!" Oboro turned his head around, the five of us stood behind him. "There over there, but then who are they?!" Oboro looked in the front and then behind again. "Confused? Sorry, but it was the only way to get you guys to come out of hiding." Naruto laughed in front of them, in a puff of smoke he revealed his clones. "How! Don't tell me that this little brat, it's not possible!" Oboro clenched his fists, "The shadow clones were only the first part of it! The real trick was coming up with clones for the rest of my squad!" Naruto grinned, his clones going up in a puff of smoke. "While our doubles did all the fighting, we were safe and sound waiting for you to show yourselves. What do you think guys? I think our little plan worked." I called out to them with a grin, a hand on my hip, the three of them started to shake. "Ha!" Naruto laughed, trying to climb up onto his feet, but he fell back down onto the ground. "Hey, Naruto." I smiled over at him, "Huh?" He looked up at me, "Take a break, you've used up a lot of your chakra." I told him, "I'll take care of them." Sasuke said, taking a step closer. "No way!" Naruto shouted, he punched Oboro in the face, the three of them knocked each other down like dominos. "After all the work I've done, I'm not going to let you have all the fun!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fist. _Is that really the same Naruto? When did he get this good?_ Sasuke stared at him. Mubi looked up at Naruto, "This kid shouldn't even be able to move, let alone this!" Mubi gasped, "Naruto, you rock!" I shouted, punching my fist up into the air. _His chakra's incredibly resistant._ Kabuto thought, taking note of Naruto's strength. "You really think so?" Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at me. "Yeah, you were super cool!" I nodded, his face flushed pink.

 _To be able to pull of a multi shadow clone jutsu and then to transform four of the clones into his companions, and to still come out fighting. And all this on the fifth day, if he ever truly masters his chakra, this kid will be unstoppable._ Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Oboro and his team mates fanned out, staring Naruto down. "Ha, not bad! But that doesn't mean it's over! We're still feeling lucky." Oboro called out, clasping his hands together into a sign, his teammates copied him. "And besides, time's running out for all of us. So, we'll just have to take the gloves off, and show you our ninjutsu. Ninja art, fog clone jutsu!" Oboro's voice echoed around the forest.

Clones of him and his teammates popped up around us. "Shadow clones?" Naruto breathed out, "No, those are real clones. Don't waste your strength, bonehead. Let them make the first move." Sasuke called out to him, Naruto stared down the crowd. "If these are all clones than the real ones are in there with them, all I've got to do is smash my way through them until I find the ones that squeal!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fists. "No, don't be more of an idiot than you already are. Listen to me-" "Get off my back, would ya?! Just stay out of it, I can handle this!" Naruto shouted, dashing towards the clones. "Naruto!" I shouted as I watched him run, "Not again..." Kabuto sighed, leaning forward. A sharp pain, stung my neck, I held onto the mark as I watched Kabuto. _There it is again! A stabbing pain in my neck when I try to do anything, did I use too much of my chakra? Dang it!_ I thought, gritting my teeth.

"So, that was a clone!" Naruto shouted, flying through clone after clone. "That one too!" He shouted, "Naruto, stop!" Kabuto called out to him, watching as Naruto punched his way through clone after clone. "Could it be that they're all fake? Of could it be genjutsu again?" Sakura sighed, I clasped my hands together into a sign, pain ricketing through my body, _i've got to...use the last of my chakra..._ "Daigan!" I shouted, my eyes burning as I looked through all the clones, _empty shell after empty shell!_ "GAH!" I gasped, falling down onto my knees in pain, my neck stinging as I shook. "(Y/N)?" Sasuke knelt down to me, "(Y/N)!" Sakura gasped, "T-The mark again!" Her eyes widened, the mark was a bright red, "(Y/N), you've got to stop using the Daigan! Just don't do it!" Sakura called out to me, Naruto turned his head back around. "You should never give your enemy an opening!" Oboro shouted, flying a kunai down at Naruto, Kabuto pushed Naruto out of the way, "Gah!" He gasped, the kunai cutting into his leg as he landed on the ground. "Kabuto!" Naruto gritted his teeth, standing back up on his feet. "Now you're gonna get it!" He shouted at the clones, "Naruto, stop it! You can fling yourself at those clones all you want, the real one's aren't there!" I shouted at him through pained gasps, "What? Where are they? That last attack couldn't of come from any clone, they've got to be around here somewhere!" Naruto shouted, falling back down onto his knees. _I'm exhausted, I can't do the shadow clone jutsu anymore._ Naruto was gasping for air.

"Looks like they're reached the end of their rope, oh well, it was fun while it lasted." Oboro jumped towards Naruto, he turned his head around. Behind Naruto, a fist raised through the earth, my eyes widened. The three of them poked their heads out of the ground, kunai in hand. _That's it! They hide using earth style! Curse it, how could I have not noticed the vibrations?!_ I gritted my teeth, Kabuto turned his head around, Oboro sliced the kunai towards his face, Kabuto flew back with a gasp, blood spraying on the grass. Oboro and his teammates rose out of the ground, staring down at Kabuto. Kabuto looked up at them, his eyes staring at Oboro with a crazed look, a long gash on his nose. His glasses were down on the ground, a shiver ran down my spine as I looked at Kabuto, Oboro froze, his legs shaking. Kagari took a step back, his eyes widening in fear from Kabuto's gaze. "GAAH!" Naruto shouted, sending his foot flying into Oboro's face, Oboro fell back into Mubi and Kagari, sending them all flying down to the ground. Their clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, Oboro was knocked senseless. "Ha, like you said. Never give your enemy an opening." Naruto chuckled, rubbing his chin. "Thank you Naruto, you saved my neck." Kabuto breathed out, his horrifying expression dropped. "Way to go, Naruto!" Sakura shouted, waving at him. "It was nothin." Naruto sighed, plopping down on the ground. I stared at Kabuto, the image of his face burned into my brain.

Naruto knelt down to Oboro, digging through his pockets. Kabuto was staring down at me with a grin, "That mark on your neck," He called out, I jumped, turning my head up to him. "What is it, a bruise?" Kabuto called out, I put my hand over it. "O-Oh, it's nothing." I waved, Kabuto smiled down at me, a glare spreading across his glasses. _(Y/N)'s nervous around me now, their eyes are still orange, so they do have the Daigan. Perfect, everything about them is...perfect._ Kabuto's stare made me uneasy, I turned my head away. Sasuke squinted his eyes at Kabuto, _there's something about this guy..._ Sasuke thought to himself.

"Hm?" Naruto pulled out a scroll, his eyes widened. He stood up, the scroll in hand. "Hey, guys!" Naruto shouted, I looked up at him. "Here it is! Just what we needed, a heaven scroll!" Naruto shouted, the white scroll in hand. "Good job." Kabuto nodded, _something about this guy that I don't like._ Sasuke looked at him, helping me stand back up.

We made our way to the tower, I leaned on Sasuke's shoulder, his arm was around my waist. Sakura glared at me angrily, turning her head away as we climbed the stairs up to the tower. "There you are, Kabuto. Late." Yoroi called out to him, his arms crossed. Misumi close behind him. "Sorry about that, I got a little," Kabuto looked back at me, "Sidetracked." Yoroi walked over to him, the three of them met up. "Yeah, and aren't we luck you did! It was only thanks to you that we got both of the scrolls!" Naruto smiled up at Kabuto, his hands behind his head. "Not really, you guys did most of it on your own. Especially you, Naruto, very impressive." Kabuto nodded, _man this kid's annoying,_ Kabuto thought. "Hehehe." Naruto grinned, "Well, this is the door that we go through. So long, and good luck to us both." Kabuto nodded, "Right!" Naruto nodded back. Naruto pushed open the door, we all stepped into the room, a cold breeze hit us as we entered.

"A good harvest?" He asked Kabuto, "Yes. I learnt a lot about them during the second exam, and I recorded all the data." Kabuto grinned, holding a card between his fingers. "You want it?" Kabuto smiled smuggle, "Of course." He hissed, Kabuto extended the card out to him. "So tell me, what do you think?" He asked, "Your curiosity is truly insatiable, **Lord Orochimaru.** " Kabuto said, handing him the card. "As a sound village spy, you see things others don't, your opinion is of interest to me." Orochimaru read the card, Kabuto shrugged. "Oh, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Kabuto put his finger over the gash on his nose, it healed instantly. "Whatever I think, you're the one who decides. Isn't that always the way?" Kabuto looked back over to him. "You're a cagey one, aren't you Kabuto? I like that. Good work." Orochimaru breathed out, walking away.

"What's the deal? There's no body here!" Naruto's voice echoed around the room. "It's okay, Sasuke. I can manage." I smiled at him, slipping out from his arm. Sasuke watched me walk towards the front of the room, _I was enjoying that._ He thought to himself, putting his hands in his pockets, Sakura ignored me, "Huh? I don't get it, what happens now?" Naruto asked, slumping his shoulders, Sakura pointed at the front wall. "Hold on a second, just look at that." She called out, a large sign hung on the wall. "Great! What is it?" Naruto scratched the top of his head, I put my hands on my hips. "If qualities of heaven are your desire, you require wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When heaven and earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. This...something, is the secret way that guides us from this place today." I read out loud, squinting my eyes at the sign. "This what?" Naruto asked me, confusion written on his face. "Or is that a secret too?" He huffed, crossing his arms. "It's like there's a word missing here." I mumbled, looking the board over again, Sasuke walked closer to me. "Anyway, it's about the scrolls. I think that we're supposed to open and read the heaven and earth scrolls now." I nodded, putting my hands on my hips.

I held the heaven scroll in my hand, Naruto gripped onto the earth scroll. He gulped, digging his thumb under the paper. A bead of sweat ran down the side of my face as I did the same, Sasuke stared at me intensely. I pulled back the paper, nothing happened. "O-Okay. Here goes nothing." Naruto pulled back the paper on his own scroll.


	36. Surviving The Cut, Rookie Ten Again

"Okay, here goes nothing." Naruto gulped, "Yeah." I nodded, pulling back the paper. I unraveled the scroll with Naruto, my eyes widened. Naruto tilted his head, "What? What does this mean?" Naruto asked, Sakura peered over my shoulder, Sasuke sighed. "A man? A person?" I wondered, trying my best to understand. The paper bent up, I jumped back. "A summoning jutsu!" I shouted, throwing the scroll to the ground, "Naruto! Quick! Get rid of the scroll!" I looked over to him, jumping back from the scroll on the ground. "Yek!" Sakura screeched, "Huh?!" Naruto gasped, throwing the scroll to the other side of the room, smoke erupted around the scrolls.

A figure appeared from the smoke. "What? It's you?" Sasuke muttered, Iruka crossed his arms. "Hey. Long time no see, huh?" Iruka-sensei smiled. He stood in the middle of the two scrolls, "Iruka-sensei?" I tilted my head. "Looks like you four have gone through a lot." Iruka nodded, Naruto crossed his arms. "Hey, what's with the surprise entrance? Why are you appearing with a summoning?" Naruto asked, shaking his head side to side. "At the end of the second exam, we Chunin are supposed to welcome the test takers back, and well, it was just luck that I got to be the one given the important task of being the messenger for you guys." Iruka explained, walking closer to us. "A messenger?" Sakura asked, Iruka dug into his pocket, flipping open a small pocket watch. "Made it just in time to." Iruka nodded, closing it in his hand as he turned his head back to us. "And now. Congratulations, you all have passed the second exam." Iruka nodded with a smile. "To celebrate your passing, I would love to treat you all to some ramen, but-" " **Ramen?!** " Naruto and I screamed at the same time, running over to Iruka. "Seriously? That's so cool!" Naruto shouted, "Yeah! I'm starving, you're a life saver Iruka-sensei!" I smiled, Naruto wrapped his arms around Iruka. "Hey! I'm not done!" Iruka sighed, "So cool!" Naruto chanted, "Let go, Naruto." Iruka shook his head. "Oh yeah!" Naruto jumped, his fists in the air. "Ramen would be awesome! Believe it!" Naruto shouted, "Yeah! Especially after and the bugs and plants we've had to eat for that past few days, so great! I'm going to eat everything!" I shouted, dancing around Iruka. Sakura sighed, crashing down onto the floor. Sasuke sat down, relaxing his legs. "Where do they get all their energy?" Sasuke mumbled, "Yeah!" Naruto jumped, "Ugh, shut up." Sakura complained, Iruka couldn't help but smile.

"Alright. Well, I can see you two are still as hyperactive as ever." Iruka sighed, his hands on his hips. "Oh, I see." Sasuke smirked, "Huh?" Sakura turned her head over to him. "So if we looked at the scrolls in the middle of the exam, what would you have done to us, Iruka-sensei?" Sasuke asked him, Iruka looked down at him on the ground. "Hm?" I looked over at Iruka, he picked the scrolls back up. "As usual, Sasuke. You're as sharp as a tack." Iruka rolled the scrolls back up. "Well, part of this exam was to test how well you can see a difficult mission all the way through. Simply put, you knew that opening the scrolls was against the rules of your mission, and that if you tried to open one..." Iruka rubbed his chin, "What? What would of happened?" I asked him, looking up at Iruka with wide eyes. "If the scroll was opened, we were ordered to knock out whoever opened it. Some ninja found that out the hard way." Iruka explained, rubbing the back of his neck, Naruto gulped. "Ha, it's a good thing you didn't open up yours, huh Naruto?" Sasuke looked over at him, "Gah! I owe ya one, thanks a million Kabuto!" Naruto chuckled nervously, "Few, yeah, you're right. That was seriously close." I sighed, putting my hands in my pockets. Sakura poked her head up, "Oh, yeah, Sensei." Sakura called out, "Yeah?" Iruka looked over at her, she pointed to the large sign. "What does that writting on the wall mean? The parchment the letters are written on is kinda eaten away so it's difficult to read it. We can't understand it." Sakura asked him, "Oh, please. Look, we passed, didn't we? That stuff doesn't matter now!" Naruto grinned, Sakura clenched her fists, "Well, actually, explaining that is another one of my duties." Iruka explained, "What? Seriously?" Naruto tilted his head. "That's right. It's serious business. Give it a good read, it's instructions Lord Hokage recorded are principles that chunin should follow." Iruka turned back to the sign, "They're instructions?" Naruto asked, Iruka put his hands in his pockets. "Yes. Heaven stands for your mind and earth for your body. If qualities of heaven are what you desire, require wisdom to take your mind higher. Get it?" Iruka turned back to us, "Uh..." Naruto itched the top of his head. "Alright, I'll explain. In other words, if your weakness lies in your intellect, Naruto, than you have to make sure that you work hard to learn all the skills you need to prepare for your missions." Iruka-sensei smiled over at him, he was still confused. Sakura started to laugh, "And you, Sakura. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. So, if your weakness lies in your physical strength, Sakura, then you have to make sure that you work on your physical condition every single day so you improve all the time." Iruka explained with a nod, Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "When heaven and earth are open together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. Meaning, if your mind and body are working together as one, then even a very dangerous mission can become and easy one." Iruka nodded, "So, what about that spot with the missing letter?" I asked him, my arms crossed. "Well, that mark is meant for you to fill in. Do you remember that mark on the scroll? It's the character for person, a reference to you chunin. You see, these five days of survival were to test your abilities as chunin and to see if you'd be any good at it, and I've got to say, you guys really did magnificently. A chunin is a leader, a guide. It's a chunin's responsibility to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of those serving under them and to know what skills and training those ninja are going to need in order to succeed on a mission." Iruka continued his lecture, "You four did an excellent job on this mission, and I want you to remember these instructions on your next one. Well, that's it. That was everything I was supposed to say to you." Iruka finished with a nod. "Got it!" Naruto said with a smile, "Can we get ramen now?" I asked with a sigh, Iruka's happy expression dropped. "Huh?" I looked up at him.

"One more thing. For the third exam, don't push it too far. Especially you two, Naruto, (Y/N), I'm worried-" "Iruka-sensei, when I got this headband I stopped being a student. So you don't have to worry about me or (Y/N) at all, not anymore!" Naruto said with a grin, Iruka's eyes widened. "Yeah, we're full-fledged ninja now. We may still be hyper, but we're not kids any more! We got through the second chunin exam, and you watch! We're going to get through the third for sure!" I chimed in, throwing my fist up into the air. Iruka's gaze softened, "You guys are right, I'm sorry about that." Iruka said quietly, a small smile on his face.

 _"Look, I know their strengths and weakness better than any one else does. Whatever the result, I want to be the one who breaks the news to them." Iruka said in a stern tone, Anko rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you're that hung up on it. I'll just leave that team in your hands, jeez." Anko shrugged, "But I would of thought that you would've had a little more confidence in them, ya know." Anko said with a sigh. "Thank you, Anko." Iruka bowed. "Wait," She picked up a piece of paper, scanning her eyes over it. "Those guys are Kakashi's students, aren't they? Listen, if Kakashi's got faith in them, then I wouldn't count them out just yet, Iruka." Anko nodded, looking over at him with a serious look._

 _It seems to me now, that the one who understand the strengths and weaknesses of these ninja best might very well be you, Kakashi._

"Ah...gnnnn..." Anko gritted her teeth, the tips of her fingers lightly touched her neck, grazing the curse mark. "How is it?" Lord Hokage asked, his hands behind his back. "Does the curse mark still cause you pain?" He asked, worry etched on his features. "No, not really. Thanks to you, it's much better." Anko said with a sigh, "Well, that's good, but we better get back to business." Izumo nodded his head, Kotetsu by his side. "This Orochimaru is one of the legendary Sannin ninja, isn't he? He's supposed to be so incredibly powerful that not even the Anbu black ops could bring em down. I heard that Orochimaru was dead, but I guess that isn't true." Kotetsu sighed, his hands in his pockets. "Why did he come to this village now, any way?" Izumo asked, his expression becoming serious. "That kid..." Anko whispered.

"He's after (Y/N), right? Sasuke as well." Lord Hokage breath a heavy sigh, Anko looked back at him. "Anko! We've confirmed that twenty three ninja have finished the second exam. And as for the third exam, according to the rules, we'll have to hold a round of preliminaries first. The first time in...five years." The staticy voice cut out, the radio's transmission being lost. Lord Hokage held onto the end of his pipe, Anko's eyes widened. "Now, for the time being, we'll continue with the exams, as planned. But I also want to keep an eye on his movements as well, and a close watch on (Y/N). History is repeating it's self." Lord Hokage sighed.  
"Yes." Anko agreed.

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam!" Anko's voice echoed around the arena, it was cold, a shiver ran down my spine as I looked around the crowd. Anko crossed her arms, _there were eighty ninja that took the exam, frankly, I'm surprised the even twenty three passed. Less than half did make it, but I thought that the number would at least be in the single digits. Hm, with the two (L/N)'s here, history really is repeating it's self._ Anko smirked, crossing her arms.

"I'm really hungry..." Choji sighed, he stood next to me, holding onto his scarf tightly. "What a drag, there's so many left." Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets. "I'll say, hey Choji, maybe I've got somethin here for you." I whispered to him, digging into my pocket, I pulled out a partially melted cough drop. "Awesome!" Choji grinned, taking it out of my hand, he popped it into his mouth. "What a pain." Shikamaru looked down at the ground. "Ah, Sasuke and his team has passed too." Ino clasped her hands together, looking over at Sasuke from afar. "Well, of course they did. With (Y/N) on the team, " Shikamaru looked over at me, I puffed out my cheeks. "Whatever..." I mumbled.

"I see your team didn't do too bad, Kakashi. They must of gotten real lucky." Guy cleared his throat, his hands on his hips. "Of course, with my team still around, your team is doomed to failure. After all, what matters on the next test is ability, and we've got you far outclassed. Well, I guess a part of growing up is learning to deal with heartbreak, huh, Kakashi?" Guy smiled smugly, "Huh? Did you say something?" Kakashi asked, his hands on his pockets. "GAH!" Guy screamed, clenching his fists. _Alright Kakashi, you win this round! But next time you're not going to be able to act so cool! There's no way I'm going to let you get the best of me!_ Guy gritted his teeth.

 _So that's Guy-sensei's old rival, huh? Based on looks alone, I'd say that Guy-sensei would loose._ Tenten thought with a smile. _Guy-sensei is the coolest teacher ever! I mean, he is so cool, he practically glows with cool he is that cool! You watch Guy-sensei, some day I will make you proud of me!_ Lee shot a fist up into the air, a serious expression cross his face. _I never want to see tears on dear (Y/N) ever again. That is why I am never going to loose again, Guy-sensei! Never again!_ Lee clenched his fists tightly.

 _As expected, all the best are here._ Neji looked around the crowd, Sasuke stood next to him, his gaze was uneasy. Sasuke's head was turned, staring at my back, I was joking around with Choji. _Sasuke Uchiha, you will loose._ Neji balled his hands into fists.

"Gnnnn!" Zaku growled angrily, both of his arm tightly bound up in bandages. _I will get you for what you've done to me, Sasuke!_ Zaku gritted his teeth, Dosu in front of him.

Kabuto's eyes wandered around the room, Orochimaru shooting a glance at him from the corner. Kabuto gave a sight nod.

 _I can't believe it. Only seven teams out of the twenty six are left._ Temari looked around the room, "Hm?" She looked over at Gaara, his eyes were pinned to someone from behind, his arms crossed.

"Huh?" Kurenai's eyes widened. _Akamaru is acting strange._ She thought, her arms crossed. Kiba gritted his teeth, Akamaru whimpered. _Those sand village ninja._ Kiba looked back at them, Mikio met his stare, Akamaru quivered. _(Y/N) passed too, thank goodness._ Hinata thought with a smile, clasping her hands together.

"Hey, look, all of the leaf village rookies are here too." Sakura whispered, I turned my head over to her, "Wow, everyone's here! Even old man Hokage, Iruka-sensei, and even bush brow. Looks like no one got left out this time." Naruto turned his head over to us, "I don't have a very good feeling about this." Sasuke whispered to us, "Hm. Yeah." I agreed, a small twinge in my neck.

 _It's hard to believe that there are so many left after the second test. And so many of them are rookies, so that's why they fought so hard to recommend them._ Lord Hokage thought, rubbing his chin. "Alright, now, pay attention! Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you. Listen up maggots!" Anko shouted, I turned my head back to the front of the room.

Lord Hokage took a step closer to the crowd, clearing his throat. "First, before I tell you what the third exam entails, I want to explain something about the test its self. Listen closely now, it's something that all of you need to understand. I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams." Lord Hokage explained, his hands behind his back. _True purpose?_ Sakura wondered. "Why do you suppose our country holds this exam in conjunction with our allies?" He asked the crown, Naruto shrugged. "To raise friendship between allied nations, to be sure, but it is important that you understand it's true meaning. The exams are, so to speak..." Lord Hokage paused. _So to speak?_ I tilted my head to the side. "They are to represent the battle between allied nations." Lord Hokage nodded, holding his pipe in place. "What's that supposed to mean?" I wondered, peering over Kiba's shoulder.

"Now, if we look at our history, all the countries we are currently allied with were once neighboring nations that continuously fought each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each others military strength meaninglessly, those nations picked champions to do battle of behalf of their countries, in a neutrally selected location. That is how the chunin selections exams originally began." Lord Hokage explained, slowly breathing a puff of smoke out, his pipe in his hand. "Well, that's great, but why do we have to go through these exams, then? I mean, it's not like we're doing this to collect chunin to go fight." Naruto asked, Lord Hokage shook his head.

"Well, actually. There is no question that part of the point of these exams is to select shinobi worthy of becoming chunin, but that's just not the whole story. These exams also allow for a place where a shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs and fight against other ninja for their very lives." Lord Hokage said in a dark tone. "Pride of their nation?" Sakura whispered, "Many leaders and their people of prominence from various countries are invited to attend this exam as guests and also, possibly, to seek shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, those guests will watch your battles, and take note of the strengths of each ninja and their nation has developed. If there is a gap in power between the countries, the strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja. And conversely, the countries that are deemed weak decline. Therefor, the stronger our nation is, the better our position when it comes to negotiating with neighboring countries, so it is important to show how much military strength our village has." Lord Hokage explained to the crowd, I crossed my arms, unable to shake the feeling of being watched.

"Okay, but even so! Why is is necessary for us to risk our lives?" Kiba shouted out, his outburst causing a few hushed mumbles to erupt in the crowd. Iruka sighed. "The countries strength is the villages strength. The villages strength is the shinobi's strength. And the true strength of the shinobi is only achieved when they are pushed to their limits, such as in a life or death battle. This exam is a place for each nation to show the strength of their shinobi and, hence, the strength of the nation it's self. It's because this is a exam where your lives are on the line that it has meaning. And it is for this very reason that for the strength of the nation, that for the strength of the nation, for you and your foreigners take this exam. It is truly a dream worth striving for." Lord Hokage held his pipe tightly in his hand, the crowd was stirred. "But then...why did you use the word 'friendship' before?" Tenten asked, a confused look crossed her face.

"But you've only remembered half of what I said. You also must have the wrong idea of the exams meaning. This is a custom of which balances are preserved by fighting and dying. In the world of this shinobi, that is friendship. The third exam is a fight for life, the pride of your village and your own dreams at stake." Lord Hokage's words silenced the crowd.

"Ha, well, he sure convinced me." Naruto said with his arms crossed, I turned my head over to him with a small smile. _There,_ the thought rang loud in my ears. My eye scanned through the crowd, eyes staring at me intensely. Gaara's head was completely turned, I was caught off guard by his piercing stare. I gave him a small wave, wondering what it was all about, he turned his head back to the front of the room.

"Any test is fine, just tell me what the details of the exam are already, I can handle anything you throw at me." Gaara breathed out, his arms crossed. "Very well." Lord Hokage said with a nod, "Now, listen closely. I'm going to be telling you all exactly what you will be doing on the third exam-" Lord Hokage began, a loud cough stopped him. "Lord Hokage, before you do, please allow me, Hayate Gekko, proctor of the third exam, to speak first." Hayate asked in a soft tone, his throat scratchy as he bowed his head. "Sure." Lord Hokage shrugged, taking a step back.

"It's nice to meet you all." Hayate coughed, covering his mouth with his hand. "There's something that I would like all of you," He turned to us, his speech interrupted by another coughing fit. "T-To do before the third exam." He cleared his throat, "Are you okay?" I asked him, looking over Kiba's shoulder. "F-Fine." He waved, continuing to cough heavily.


	37. Narrowing the Feild

"Uh..." Hayate cleared his throat. "We have to have a preliminary exam before we move onto...to the real one." Hayate explained to the crowd. "What? What do you mean by that?" Shikamaru shouted out, "Preliminary means before you dummy." I waved my finger at him, "I know that, I'm not-tch, whatever." Shikamaru scoffed, turning his head away, I grinned. "I'm sorry, excuse me, but I really don't see the point. What's this preliminary all about? Why can't we just move onto the third exam?" Sakura asked, Hayate cleared his throat. "Uh...well, you see. The first and second exams might of been too easy. The fact is, we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the chunin exams, a preliminary round can be held at any stage, in order to reduce that number of candidates remaining." Hayate explained, slightly slouched over. "Uh, but! Is that fair?" Sakura called out, worry painted on her face. "It's just, a this stage, we have to speed things up a bit. As Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time, they've come to see only the best. So, if there are any of you who feel you're not in top physical condition, now's your chance to-" Hayate stopped, turning his head away from the crowd as he continued to cough into his sleeve. _Talk about not being in top physical condition,_ I thought with a sigh. "Sorry about that." He cleared his throat once again, "As I was saying, any of you who don't feel up to this, now is the time for you to say it." Hayate looked into the crowd. "The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"Come on! You mean right now?!" Kiba shouted, clenching his fists. "Yeah, we just finished barely surviving the last exam! Don't we get a break?" Ino whined, "Man, what a drag." Shikamaru sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "Heeeey, when do we eat?" Choji grumbled, I looked down at the floor. "Great, we have to go through this before we get to go to Ichiraku's. Why didn't you explain before, Iruka-sensei?" I sighed, closing my eyes. "I could really go for a bowl." Naruto agreed.

"Oh...yeah, uh...the winners will be determined by one on one combat, sudden death. So, like I said, if there's any one who doesn't feel up to it, now's the chance." Hayate shrugged, _doe's he really think any one is going to quit-_ "Gnnnn!" Sasuke's thoughts were cut short by a sting in his neck, he clasped his hand over the curse mark. "Sasuke?" I looked over to him, _the waves of pain...they're coming sooner and sooner!_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, looking over to me. _Oh no, I knew it._ Sakura shook her head, "You two have got to quit. Sasuke, (Y/N), listen to me. You've been like this ever since you've tangled with Orochimaru, and it's getting worse!" Sakura clenched her fists, Sasuke turned his head away from her. "It's the mark...isn't it?" She asked, looking at us worriedly. _Mark?_ Naruto wondered, "You guys can't deny it," Sakura clasped her hands together, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please...please, quit now before..." She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. "I-I don't k-know what...I-I'm scared." Sakura whispered, I turned to her, holding her hand. "It's okay...it's okay." I whispered to her, she was shaking.

"It's just as I feared." Lord Hokage whispered, "What do we do with them?" Ibiki asked, looking over at him. "We take the both of them out of the exam and hand them over to black ops and keep them locked up. We have to keep those seals under control-" Anko was interrupted. "Oh, and you think they're going to quietly go along with this, huh? I know for a fact (Y/N) wont." Kakashi chimed in, Anko turned her head over to him. "You're forgetting, they're from the (L/N) clan." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "I don't care what the heck they are! If they stay, they're a danger to everyone! Don't you see, as they get stronger, so does the curse mark! That thing is feeding off their chakra! It's a forbidden jutsu that devours the one who bears it." Anko snapped back, gritting her teeth as she looked back at the crowd. "It's incredible those kids are still standing. By now...they should be dead." Anko sighed, "Lord Hokage." She turned to him.

"Come on, you know just as well as I do that you are in no condition to keep on fighting-!" "Shut up." Sasuke glared at her, "Do you think I'm blind or something?!" Tears streaked down her face. "Will you just be quiet?" Sasuke gritted his teeth, "You think I don't see the suffering you're going through?!" Sakura shook her head, "That's enough, Sakura." I whispered, putting my hand on her shoulder, she grabbed onto it. "I'm sorry, I can't let you do it to yourselves. I-I'm going to tell them about that mark, then maybe you'll-"

"Huh?" I turned my head around, his hand was in the air. "Okay, you got me. I'm out." Kabuto said with a small smile, my eyes widened. "But...Kabuto." Naruto breathed out, I shook my head. "Kabuto, no way." I said in shock.  
"Uh...hmmm." Hayate held onto a clip board, flipping through the pages with a cough. "Kabuto Yakushi of the hidden leaf, right? Okay, you can go on and step back." Hayate said with a sigh. "Gotcha." Kabuto noddle, breaking free from the crowd.

"Kabuto! Hold on a second, you creep! You can't quit! I don't get this, what's going on?!" I shouted, taking a step closer to him. _Pathetic._ Gaara thought, eyeing Kabuto as he walked past him. Kabuto stopped midway through the crowd, he looked back at me with a small smile. "Oh, (Y/N). I'm sorry," He said with a small shrug, "My body's just too beat up, I cant hack it. The fact is, ever since orientation, that dust up with the sound ninja team, I've had no hearing at all in my left ear. And now to have to put my life on the line, to fight again, right away with out a break, I can't do it." He said with a small sigh, I looked down at the ground, my hands in my pockets.

"Seems to me that I've seen that one before. If memory serves, this isn't the first time he's dropped out before a battle." Lord Hokage rubbed his chin, "What kind of game is he playing?" He wondered. Ibiki turned his head around, "Anko," He called her back. "Oh, right." She sighed, flipping through a small stack of papers. "Kabuto Yakushi...he's failed six times in a row?" Anko scratched her head, "What do you have on his background?" Lord Hokage asked, squinting his eyes at the paper. "His time at the academy was not what you'd call impressive. Average grades, took him a full three tries before he passed the graduation exam. As far as the missions he's carried out since then, there's been two C ranks and four D ranks. It's not exactly a battle record to write home about, however..." Anko paused, looking up from the papers. "Go on." Lord Hokage said with a nod, "There's something before his time in the academy." Anko looked over at him. "Do you remember the child? The one who was found after the battle of Kikyo Pass? The only survivor?" Anko's voice was hushed, "I remember the story, it was said that a small boy was found among the enemy, dead on the battlefield. He was found buried alive and brought back by a jonin from the medical unit. You're saying this is that boy?" Lord Hokage looked back at him.

"Kabuto, what do you think you're doing?" Yoroi called out to him in a stern tone, turning his head around. "Have you forgotten his orders?" Yoroi whispered, "I'm leaving all of that to you. What's the problem? For someone with your abilities, it should be no trouble." Kabuto said in a hushed tone, "This is your chance to prove yourself, Yoroi. After all, you've always wanted to take my place, haven't you? Go for it." Kabuto shrugged, "Hm, you may be Orochimaru's favorite, but be careful you don't push me too far." Yoroi eyed him angrily, "Thanks, I'll keep that piece of advice in mind." Kabuto looked back over at me, "Huh?" I raised my head, he waved before he continued to walk away. _Sorry (Y/N), wish I could've stayed and played with you a little longer, but if I did that, the old me might get stirred up._ Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, _can't have that. I might blow my cover, wouldn't be as much use as a spy after that. Besides, I've already done my job._ Kabuto shrugged, _they called me a creep. A creep, huh, (Y/N)?_ Kabuto tapped the side of his glasses. _Guess I'll just have to save my fun for later, till we meet again, (Y/N). Hopefully, it will be soon._ Kabuto smiled.

"Ahem, now then, does anybody else want to quit?" Hayate's voice trailed off, he coughed into his sleeve. Sakura gulped, _I can't let this go on, I've got to tell them!_ Sakura started to raise her hand, my eyes widened. Sasuke slapped her hand down, "Don't you even dare think about telling them about the mark." Sasuke glared at her, she shook her head. "I don't get what you're trying to prove! Am I just supposed to stand by and watch you tear yourself apart? I can't bear watching..." Sakura looked down at the ground, "Then don't watch, but stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you. I told you before. What I am is an avenger. For me, this is something far more than just an exam. Whether I become a chunin or not means less than nothing to me." Sasuke looked down at the ground. "Huh?" Naruto turned his head around, I looked to my side. "Am I as strong as I can be? All I want is the answer to that. I can only find that out by fighting the strongest, the best. And the best of the beat are all here." Sasuke looked around at the crowd. "This is the path I walk, and you can't change that." Sasuke glared at her, "Oh, Sasuke." Sakura whispered, tears running down her face. "Man, you don't know when to quit! What are you biting her head off for you idiot?! It's just because she care about you!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fists. "Naruto." Sasuke turned around to him. "Huh?" He put his hands on his hips. "You're one of the ones I want to fight the most." Sasuke looked at him with a small grin. Naruto's electric blue eyes widened.

Lord Hokage slowly breathed out a puff of smoke. "I'm still concerned about what Orochimaru said. Allow them to continue with the exam for now," Lord Hokage watched the crowd, Anko turned to him. "What?!" She breathed out. "We'll see what happens." Lord Hokage shrugged, "But! Lord Hokage!" Anko gritted her teeth, "However, at the first sign of a curse mark on either of them, or their power getting out of control, we'll step in and stop it." Lord Hokage explained, pipe in hand. "Right." Ibiki nodded. "B-But! I-I..." Anko sighed, looking down at the ground, defeated. "As you wish." She sighed. Kakashi turned back to the crowd.

"Alright then." Hayate cleared his throat, "We'll now begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of one on one individual combat, a full battle. This is not an exercise. There are twenty two of you remaining, so that means there will be eleven matches. The surviving candidates from these matches will advance to the third exam. As for the rules, there are none. You will fight until one dies or concedes defeat, or is rendered physically incapable of continuing the contest. Naturally, those who are loosing are urged to concede defeat promptly, to avoid a fatal outcome. Furthermore, as a proctor, I am given a certain amount of leeway in judgement the matches-" He was interrupted by a loud, wet sounding, cough. He hid his mouth in his sleeve, turning a bit away from the crowd as he coughed. "Err, uh, hm." Hayate turned back to us. "I'll occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless, to save as many lives as possible. Now, it is time to reveal the fate that has been chosen for you." He said, slightly sarcastically, as he turned his head to his side. Anko nodded from behind, turning back as she looked at the high wall. "Open the panel." She commanded, a large metallic clank sounded from the wall. I turned my head up to see what was going on. The wall was opening to reveal a large screen behind it, my eyes widened. "Woah, technology."

"The names of each pair of opponents are chosen at random. Before each match, these names will be here on the display behind me. As there's nothing more to say, lets begin. In a moment, the names of the first two opponents will appear." Hayate nodded to the crowd, all eyes were on the screen.

 _Hm._ I tilted my head, _I wonder who it's gonna be. I hope it's me! I've been waiting for a real good battle! Come on, come on!_ I smiled up at the screen, jumping up and down as if it was a lottery. The screen flashed, Naruto gulped. Our names appeared on the screen, if quickly cycle through them, shuffling them like a deck of cards, I watched the screen eagerly. "Huh?" I sighed, the two names appearing on the screen.

 **YOROI AKADO VS. SASUKE UCHIHA**

 _Hm, didn't waste any time, did they._ Sasuke thought, glaring up at the screen. "Aw man." I pouted, slumping my shoulders down. Sasuke smiled as he watched my head sink down. _I couldn't ask for anything more._ Yoroi grinned behind his mask. _No! Why did it have to be Sasuke?_ Sakura gritted her teeth, her eyes sinking with worry.

"Alright now. Those of you whose names have been drawn, come forward." Hayate called out, I watched as Sasuke walking out from the crowd, Yoroi not too far behind him. "Alright, let's get this over with." Hayate mumbled to himself. "Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha, you've been chosen for the first battle. Any rejections?" He asked, "I'm all here." Sasuke stared at Yoroi, "No." Yoroi answered back.

 _Well, that's it. All I can do now is watch._ Sakura sniffled. "Come on Sasuke! You can take this loser down!" I shouted from the crowd, punching my fists up in the air. "Yeah, he better win if he ever hopes to take me on." Naruto shrugged, his hands in his pockets. _Something's wrong, he's been acting so strange lately._ Ino thought, crossing her arms. _Good luck, Sasuke._ I smiled with a nod.

"Gnn..." Sasuke gritted his teeth, another wave of pain hitting his body. _The pain wont go away._ Sasuke clenched his fists. _That curse mark could be trouble._ Yoroi watched Sasuke intently. "Uh...alright then. Let's begin the first match. Okay, everyone other than the two opposing candidates, clear the area and move to the upper level." Hayate motioned his hand to the side, two matching rows faced each other, a rust looking stair case leading up to them.

The crowd quickly dispersed, footsteps treading up the stair cases. "Hm?" I looked back at the front, Kakashi made his way over. "Hey! Kakashi-sensei!" I shouted, waving to him.  
"Sasuke." He whispered, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at him. "Don't use your sharingan." Kakashi moved his head over to him, "So you know about it." Sasuke glared back at him. "If that mark on your neck gets out of control, I'll step in and stop the match. Good luck." With that Kakashi left, walking closer to the three of us. Naruto continued to wave, I smiled as he walked over to us.

 _Stop the fight?!_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, watching him leave. Sasuke touched his neck, _this thing...it seems to be responding to my chakra. Every time I use my chakra, this thing gets a little stronger. It gets a little more control over me._ Sasuke looked back at Yoroi. _I've got to fight him without using my sharingan, and even my own jutsu is off limits. Maybe I can make him laugh himself to death._ Sasuke rolled his eyes with a small shrug.

 _Heh. Yoroi's unique skills are going to be disastrous for you._ Orochimaru glared down at him, his arms crossed, disguised as a sound village jonin. _Whatever, let's get on with this._ Sasuke glared at Yoroi intensely.

I hung my arm off the side railing, leaning forward on it. Kakashi patted me on my head, "Huh?" I looked up at him, puffing out my cheeks. "I've got something important to tell you." Kakashi said, looking down at me with a small smile. "Uh, okay." I shrugged.

"Now, if you're ready. Let the match begin." Hayate sighed, taking a step back from them. "Well, I'm ready." Yoroi grunted, I turned my attention back to the match. "So am I." Sasuke glared at him. Yoroi clasped his hands together, building up chakra in his arms.

In a flash, Yoroi flung a couple shuriken towards Sasuke, Sasuke easily batted them out of the way with a kunai. "Gah!" Sasuke gasped, a large pain ricketing through his body, his legs wobbled as he fell down to the floor. Yoroi was on him quicker than I could blink, punching his fist down into the ground. Sasuke quickly dashed away, turning in the air by his arm. "Huh?!" Yoroi gasped as a leg kicked him down onto the ground, Sasuke held onto Yoroi's arm, pulling it close to his chest, holding him down onto the ground.

"Hey! He got em!" I shouted with a smile, Kakashi sighed. "You weren't listening at all, were you?" Kakashi shook his head, "Oh, uh, sorry!" I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Really?" Yoroi sighed, grabbing onto Sasuke with the arm he caught a hold of, Sasuke's strength quickly started to go. "W-What's happening?!" Sasuke grunted, laying on the ground, shaking. Yoroi picked his hand up, dirt collected in his hair. He slammed his arm back down into Sasuke chest, "Gah!" Sasuke grunted, watching as Yoroi stood back up.

 _All my strength! Suddenly, it's gone!_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, slowly starting to sit up. Yoroi dashed towards him, holding his hand to Sasuke's head. Sasuke fell back down onto the ground, "Sasuke?" My eyes widened, "Sasuke, no!" Sakura cried out, Yoroi started to laugh, his chuckled echoing around the room.

Sasuke held onto Yoroi's arm, "My chakra! What are you doing?!" Sasuke called out. "Haha! You're just noticing it now?" Yorori grinned.


	38. Bushy Brows Jealousy

"Gah!" Sasuke desperate grunts echoed around the room, he was stapled down to the floor, trying to get out of Yoroi's grasp. "M-My chakra! You're stealing it from me!" Sasuke said through exasperated grunts, "Ha, you finally caught on." Yoroi breathed out, keeping his arm steady. Sasukes arms fell limp to his sides, I held onto the railing tightly, Naruto was by my side, Kakashi at my other. "Hello?" Kakashi called out, I didn't seem to hear him. _They're too preoccupied with the battle, guess I'll have to ask them afterwards._ Kakashi sighed, turning his head back to the arena.  
 _That's right, Sasuke. He's draining your chakra, Yoroi has an extraordinary ninja art at his finger tips. He can absorb an opponents spiritual and physical energy at the palm of his hand. And once the last drop of your chakra has been drained from you, Sasuke, you'll have no other choice but to rely on the power of the curse mark._ Orochimaru touched his chin, his grin widening.

"GAH!" Sasuke screamed, his arms shaking as he tried to move them, his muscles straining from a simple jolt. _Go on, release that delicious forbidden power, set it free! It's the only chance you'll have of saving yourself._ Orochimaru watched intently. _Should I step in or...eh._ Hayate shrugged, he loosened his grip on his clip board.

"Get off of me!" Sasuke shouted, using the small strength he had left, he flew his foot into Yoroi's chest. Yoroi quickly jumped back, watching as Sasuke slowly raised his head off the ground. "So, you still have some strength left, huh?" Yoroi clenched his fists. Sasuke was gasping for air, _that was close_ , he thought leaning on his arm. "Don't worry, little man. I'll make it short and sweet!" Yoroi showed his palm, dashing back towards Sasuke. Sasuke climbed back up to his feet, his body still shaking violently.

Yoroi shoved his palm towards Sasuke, he quickly moved out of the way, catching his footing as he dodged Yoroi's palm. The side of Yoroi's hand grazed a piece of Sasuke's hair, Sasuke stumbled out of the way, his legs shaking. "What's the matter? Is that really the best you could do?" Yoroi called out with a grin, Sasuke gritted his teeth, twisting his body around with a kick, Yoroi jumped back with ease, facing Sasuke once again.

 _I don't have the speed to keep away from him. I don't have a chance in a close quarter fight. I need to think of something fast._ Sasuke clenched his fists.

 _The great Sasuke Uchiha. Is that all he's got?_ Gaara thought, looking down into the arena with a blank face. _Come on, Sasuke!_ Naruto gritted his teeth, Lee turned over to us, breaking away from Tenten and Neji. "Gnnnn! Come on, Sasuke! What was that?! And you call yourself an Uchiha?!" Naruto shouted out, leaning over the railing. "Yeah! Come on! We know you can do better than this! I believe in you, Sasuke!" I yelled out, Sasuke looked back at us.

 _(Y/N)..._ his gaze softened, looking back at us. _Wait, that's it!_ Sasuke's eyes widened. "Uh..." Hayate scratched the top of his head, _I probably should stop it...but...my throat kinda hurts and I don't really feel like talking more than I should._ Hayate thought with a sigh.

Yoroi held his palm out in the front of his chest, dashing towards Sasuke as fast as he could run. "I'll teach you to turn your back on me!" Yoroi shouted, Sasuke turned his head back to Yoroi. "Big mistake, and your last!" Yoroi lunged towards Sasuke, pushing his palm out towards him, Sasuke quickly dodged his attacks again.

 _But...I guess this is as far as it goes._ Hayate move his clip board up, taking a pencil that he accidently snapped in half out, he held it against the paper.

In a flash, Sasuke was out of the way, Yoroi's eyes widened. "Huh?! Where did he go?!" Yoroi shouted furiously, looking around wildly. "Huh?" Lee stepped a little closer towards me.

Sasuke sent a flying kick upwards, smashing his foot into Yoroi's chin. Yoroi's teeth chattered together as Sasuke sent him flying up into the air. Quickly, Sasuke jumped up to meet him. _That is my move!_ Lee's eyes widened. _What the..._ Guy tilted his head. My mouth was wide open.

Sasuke appeared behind Yoroi. "No one..." Sasuke whispered behind him, "Huh?!" Yoroi breathed out, "No one stops me from looking at my (Y/N)!" Sasuke breathed out, his eyes widening as he poked his fingers into Yoroi's back. "T-The dancing leaf shadow?!" Yoroi gaped, "Now-!" Sasuke's mouth opening wide, a spray of blood gasping out of his throat at the curse mark reacted. His body twitched as the curse grew, Sasuke's mouth wide open as a pattern burned it's way into his flesh, "No! Not again!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, _it keeps getting stronger and stronger._

Naruto gasped as he watched the mark crawl up Sasuke's skin, Kakashi tilted his head up. _Is this it?_ He wondered, watching him cautiously. The curse mark burned across half of his face, my eyes widened as I watched him, "No way-!" A twinge stung my own neck, I touched the side of it, me knee bending slightly.

 _No! I won't let this thing take over! No way!_ Sasuke clenched his fists, the curse mark receding back down to his neck, he forced it back down. Orochimaru lost his smile, squinting his eyes as he watched Sasuke. _The curse mark is receding!_ Anko's eyes widened.

"Here we go." Sasuke whispered, "Huh?" Yoroi heard him, about to twist his hand around to see him. Sasuke sent a kick up to Yoroi, Yoroi blocked it with his arm, still flying through the air. "Ha! You're no match for me!" Yoroi called out, "Who's no match for who?" I smiled, holding onto the railing tightly.

Sasuke twisted around Yoroi, flinging his body to his other side. He threw his arm down into Yoroi's chest, Yoroi flew down, Sasuke pushed off of his chest. "I'm not done yet!" Sasuke shouted, kicking his leg high up in to the air, he slammed his heel down into Yoroi's chest. "Gah!" Yoroi gasped, blood spraying from his mouth as he fell to the ground.

Yoroi fell to the floor with a loud thud, Sasuke skidded down on his arm, his chest on the floor. Hayate looked around. He moved over to Yoroi, "Well, looks like some ones...down for the count." Hayate grinned at his own joke, Sasuke slowly rose to his feet. "Looks like someone's...grounded." Silence surrounded the room, Hayate sighed. "Fine. This match is over." Hayate rolled his eyes, clearing his scratch throat. "The winner of this preliminary round is..." Hayate glanced at his clip board. "Sasuke Uchiha." "Way to go!" I shouted, cheering him on. "Yeah, you're amazing Sasuke!" Sakura chimed in, "Pfft, he isn't that great." Naruto crossed his arms.

Sasuke fell back down to his butt, slowly leaning backwards. Kakashi appeared behind him, keeping Sasuke up with his knee, his face buried in his book. "Hm. Not bad." Kakashi said with a small nod, his other hand in his pocket. "Funny that, technique you used was very reminiscent of Guy's taijutsu. You must of used your sharingan to copy it when you fought with Rock Lee that one time." Kakashi looked down at him.

"Hey, you okay?" I called out, leaning my chest over the railing. "Hey, Sasuke! You won, but in such an uncool way! You came out looking like you're the one who got beat up! Hahaha!" Naruto shouted, giggling. Sakura walked up to the railing, a smile on her face. "You little...tch. Whatever." Sasuke turned his head away, a small smile growing on his lips. _Sasuke...thank goodness._ Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

Lee looked down at Sasuke, he stood right behind me. _Rock Lee...if I hadn't seen your moves up close when we went head to head, this would of turned out badly. But still...I will never forgive you for trying to take my (Y/N) away._ Sasuke turned away from him, his fists clenched. _Amazing, he only saw me do it once, and he was able to copy it perfectly! So that is your special ability. You keep getting stronger all the time, this I can not allow! You are forever my rival!_ Lee clenched his fists, his eyes burning with determination. _(Y/N) will be mine!_

Guy turned his head over, _impressive. But you can't expect to master high speed taijutsu and lotsu movements just like that. It takes more than just the sharingan. It takes blood, and sweat, the kind of training that runs away your flesh. Even so, that last move of yours...hm. He reminds me of you, Kakashi. When you were young._ Guy put his hands on his hips.

 _To have already developed his sharingan to such a level...and to think. We haven't even seen his full Uchiha ability yet._ Kakashi lowered his book, staring at Sasuke's back. _I still can't believe it!_ Anko gritted her teeth, _the curse mark receded as if he's gained control of it._

Gaara crossed his arms, holding them tightly against his chest. He stared down at Sasuke with a ice cold, murderous stare. Kankuro turned his head over to him. _Oh, no. Not again._ Kankuro sighed. Mikio took a step closer to the railing, "That kid." He whispered to himself, looking across the battlefield towards me. "They seem...familiar." Mikio said with a sigh, c _ould it be...them?_ Mikio gritted his teeth, his fists clenched.

"Ha...ha...ha. I knew the whole time y-you'd be okay." Ino gasped out, Shikamaru glared down at Sasuke. _This could be the end of the line for us._ He thought with a sigh. "Man, I'm hungry...that cough drop did nothing..." Choji grumbled, looking down at the ground.

"W-Wow..." Hinata breathed out, looking down at Sasuke. "Tch, it wasn't anything that special." Kiba rolled his eyes, Shino shrugged.

"Hehehe~" Orochimaru grinned down, licking his lips creepily. "Gah!" I breathed out, a pain stinging into my neck. Sasuke gritted his teeth, another sting erupting in his too.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Maybe you should come along to the infirmary too and let us treat your injures." A medic called out, his buddys put Yoroi on a cot, he was out cold. Sasuke looked over at him, "I think you're out of your league with this one." Kakashi waved, continuing to read the page he stopped on. "Huh?" The medic looked over at Kakashi. "I'll look after him." Kakashi said with a nod, turning back to Sasuke.

"Okay, up you go. You're coming with me." Kakashi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "We've got to seal that curse mark." He whispered, "What about (Y/N)? And what about the preliminaries? I want to see who goes on to the finals." Sasuke said, turning his head back to Kakashi. "Forget it." Kakashi said with a sigh, "But-!" "Don't even think of arguing. Come on, let's go." Sasuke stood back up, his fists clenched.

 _Sasuke..._ Sakura thought, watching as Sasuke left with Kakashi, without a word. "Huh?" Naruto wondered, seeing Sasuke's hand clasped over the side of his neck. Naruto shook his head, "Hey. Guys, maybe I'm just crazy, but...did you see any weird marks on Sasuke's neck during the fight?" Naruto asked, his hands on his hips. Sakura turned her head to him, "And, come to think of it, (Y/N), you've been wobbling around, holding onto your neck too. I don't understand, what's going on?" Naruto looked over at me, "Oh...um..." I cleared my throat, I closed my eyes. _"You've got to promise me that you won't tell Naruto about the curse marks." Sasuke asked Sakura, her freshly cut pink hair slid unevenly down the back of her neck. "Why?" She wondered, her hands in her hips. "There's nothing he can do about it, and we're a team, it doesn't do us any good if he's worried." Sasuke explained with a small sigh._

"W-What mark? I didn't see it." Sakura lied, shaking her head. "Yeah, I've got no clue what you're talking about." I shrugged, putting my hands on my hips. "Oh...okay." Naruto nodded, _that's a bit...strange._ He thought as he turned his head.

"Uh...well, okay then. Let's move right on to the next match." Hayate called out, taking a step closer. He waved the clip board in the air as a small signal, the screen shinned to life. Names flipping around, all eyes were on the screen once again. _Come on, come on!_ I thought, clenching my fists.

 **ABUMI ZAKU VS. SHINO ABURAME**

"Ha, which sucker is that?" Zaku chuckled, looking away from the screen, his arm tightly bound to the cast. Shino slowly turned his head over to Zaku, his glare cutting through his dark glasses. A loud cough broke in between them, Hayate waved his clipboard. "Both of you, step forward, please." He called out, watching as the two of them climbed down the stairs.

Zaku and Shino met each other, face to face. Shino's hands were in the front pockets of his coat, "Very good. Now if you're both ready, we'll begin." Hayata said with a small cough, I leaned my chest over the railing. Sakura was close behind me. _That's that sound village shinobi, the one who nearly got his arms pulled off by Sasuke!_ Sakura shuddered, recalling the image of his skin snapping back. _How is he going to fight with those arms?_ She thought, shaking her head.

"Do you think Shino will be alright?" Hinata whispered, looking down at the arena. "He's okay, don't you worry about him." Kiba shrugged it off, "Huh?" Hinata turned her head to him, "He's the last person here I'd ever want to take on." Kiba said with a nod. "Woo! Come on bug boy! You can beat that armless freak!" I shouted, pulling on the railing. Shino's face turned slightly pink, "Armless freak?! Why you-!" Zaku shouted back, Hayate waved in front of him. "Candidates ready?" He asked, eyeing Zaku suspiciously. "Begin." Hayate said, taking a step back.

 _Well, Zaku. How you pull this one off will be a sight to see._ Dosu thought, turning his head back to Orochimaru. Orochimaru clasped his hands together, dissapereing in an instant.

"If you fight me, you won't be able to recover. Forfeit and withdraw." Shino looked down at Zaku, "Heh, well, what do ya know? I've got a little movement in one." Zaku chuckled, his left arm shook slightly. Zaku pulled back the thin cast with his teeth, holding his thankfully numb arm up. His palm facing Shino, "One arm's more than enough to beat you!" Zaku shouted, dashing towards Shino. His other arm limply bounced around in the cast, he hasn't felt anything from that one since the day it happened. Shino stood still, watching him run towards him. Zaku flung a fist towards Shino, Shino hit the center of Zaku's arm, a wall of pain came crashing down on him.

"You couldn't beat me using both your arms." Shino glared at him, "Yeah? Well I've got news for ya!" He shouted, drawing chakra to his extended arm. "Try this!" He screamed out, "Slicing sound wave!" Zaku turned his head away, a cloud of dust rising around him. He was gaping for air, Shino was on the floor. A grin came to Zaku's face.

Sasuke sat in the middle of the circle, Kakashi continued to draw characters down his back. With a small sigh of relief, he drew the last blood symbol. Kakashi's blood was starting to quickly dry, the cuts on his fingers throbbing melodically. "Okay. It'll be over quickly." Kakashi called out, standing up strait. "You ready?" Sasuke looked back at Kakashi, giving him a small nod. Kakashi clasped his hands together, his blood staining the glove on his other hand. _Tora, Usagi, Hebi, Uma, Tora, Tori, O-hitsuji, Usagi, Hebi, Uma, Nezumi. "_ Curse sealing!" Kakashi said rather dramatically, placing his bleeding hand over Sasuke curse mark.

"AHHHHHH!" Sasuke screamed, his painful shriek echoing around the room. Kakashi kept his hand stead on Sasuke's neck, closing his eye as he controlled his chakra. Sasuke's blood curdling scream could be heard from miles around, his shoulders jerked violently. The symbols Kakashi drew circled up Sasuke's body, moving like pieces of ribbon in the wind. Kakashi released his hand, Sasuke fell forward onto his palms, gasping for air.

"There. Now, the next time that curse mark starts acting up, the seal should keep it in check. But, remember," Kakashi called out, Sasuke slowly turned his head. "This curse sealing jutsu is only as strong as you are. It derives its power from the strength of your will, if the will ever weakens, if you ever begin to doubt yourself, the curse will be unleashed in all it's fury." Sasuke wobbled around before falling down on his chest, out cold. Kakashi sighed, "Also. Your scream sounded like a girls." Kakashi said to himself with a small smile.

"My, how you've grown." "Huh?" Kakashi's head jerked up, Orochimaru stepped out from the shadows. "To think that you would've grown strong enough to preform the curse sealing jutsu." Orochimaru said with a small chuckle, "You." Kakashi slowly breathed out, turning his head around. "Long time no see, Kakashi." Orochimaru's disguise melted, "Orochimaru." Kakashi clenched his fists, staring him down. Orochimaru stared back.


	39. Chapter 39

I gritted my teeth, gripping tightly onto the railing. Kiba clenched his fists, staring the dust cloud down. Zaku's arm fell limply to his side, pain stinging every fiber of it. "Alright, fool. You've had enough?" Zaku called out with a grin as the dust started to disperse. Shino stood in the same place, his eyes glaring daggers down at Zaku. "What?!" Zaku jumped back, his arm starting to bleed at it flopped around in the air. A loud noise echoed the room, it sounded like... _crawling._ I thought, looking down at Shino. "Hey...what?!" Zaku looked around the room, alarmed, as he started to hear the cries of insects. His eyes widened as he saw little beetles start to crawl up Shino's face, Shino had yet to move from his starting position. _W-What the! He's got bugs comin out of him!_ Zaku stared in wonder at Shino's skin started to break in small circles, more beetles crawling out. _Like a human hive! This guys a freak show!_ Zaku gritted his teeth, staring Shino down. "Great. Now that you've freaked us all out, what happens next?" Zaku spat out, ignoring the stinging in his arms. Shino was silent, "Huh?!" Zaku gritted his teeth, the squealing started to come closer. Zaku turned his head around, his eyes widening in fear. He was frozen on the ground as he watched a sea of beetles heading straight for him, I jumped up with excitement. "Yeah! You're amazing Shino! You've got that freak down!" I said with a smile, Naruto started to laugh.

Shino's face turned red, he looked down at the ground. "T-Thanks (Y/N)..." He whispered before looking back at Zaku's shaking form. "They're a rare species of parasitic beetle that attack their prey in a swarm. Eating its chakra, an army this sized will suck you dry in less than a minute." Shino explained, a slightly menacing tone in his voice. Zaku turned his head back to him, "Your only intelligent option is to forfeit the match. You can't fight two opponents at once. If you use your fairly good arm against me, my friends will swarm you from behind. Conversely, if you use your good arm to keep them at bay, then you'll have me on your blind side." Shino shrugged, "Either way, your defeat will be certain, and unpleasant. It's wise to always have an ace in the hole." Shino raised his hands out of his pockets, clasping them together in a hand sign, the first movement he's made in the entire battle.

I turned to Naruto, "When did four eyes turn cool?" I whispered, Naruto shrugged. "Whatever, there's no way that bug nerd's cooler than me." Naruto scoffed, looking back over at me. "But...quick question. Do you know those two freaks over there? I mean, we met the one in town but...they keep staring at us." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, Lee took a step closer. "Yes, I do see what you mean. Creepy." He whispered back at Naruto, I looked across the battlefield. Our eyes met in a blazing fury.

Mikio sturred, he looked into my eyes, his yellow orbs colliding with my blood orange ones. I clenched my fists, thoughts ricketing through my brain. _There's no forgetting those eyes...those are Mikio's. So, that's where he is. He's been hiding in the village hidden in the sand for all these years. Brother, you still hate me, don't you. Whatever,_ I turned my head away from him. _He's not of any importance right now. There are more important things going on, like Kale going missing. And Uncle O running around, the curse mark..._ I thought to myself, looking down at the ground. Lee took a step closer, "(Y/N), are you okay? You don't look as excited as you were before." He asked me, by my side, Naruto wore a frown as he glared at Lee. "Huh? O-Oh, I'm fine." I waved, looking back down at the battle. "That is good to hear." Lee nodded with a small smile. "Yeah...what do you even want, bushy brow?" Naruto asked, mocking Lee. "Shouldn't you be over with your other teammates?" Naruto turned his body over to Lee. "Lee can go where ever he wants to go. He's pretty cool, bet you didn't know that, Naruto. Not only is Lee super strong, he is an amazing person. And he looks super cool, and he is awesome, and this and that and-" Naruto spaced out, listening to me blabber on about Lee. Lee's face turned red as he chuckled nervously behind me, "Thank you." He smiled, Naruto huffed, crossing his arms as he turned his head away. Neji turned his head over to us, edging closer. He squinted his eyes at Lee, "I'm cool too. Right, (Y/N)?" Neji asked hastily, taking a step closer to me. "Uh...I guess?" I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck.

Zaku turned his head around, glaring at the bugs. Zaku hung his head down, a shadow growing across his eyes. _That's it. Never again._ Zaku gritted his teeth, Sasuke's smiling face glaring down at him. He clenched his only working fist, blood dripped from his bandages, soaking through the cloth. It dripped to the floor, _that's it...that's never going to happen again!_ Zaku shot his furious face up, shouting as he moved his arm in an unusual way, a large crack bouncing around the arena, the liquid crimson puddling on the ground. He opened his palm towards Shino, Shino kept his stance. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME! AHHHHH!" Zaku screamed, sinking his teeth into his other arm, throwing it to the side in a fit of rage, his knee fell to the floor, he was gasping for air. Both of his arms were out, one facing Shino, the other the swarm of beetles. "Ha...ha...ha!" Zaku was gasping for air, his chest trembling as sweat beamed down his forehead. His torn up arms aching as they shook violently on either side of him, Shino put his hands back into his pockets. Zaku grinned, his arm crunched as he moved the tore appendage. "L-Like you said...always have an ace in the hole! Right?!" Zaku screamed, his arms stinging as he held them up in the air. "Hmm..." Shino watched him.

"What the?! I thought his right arm was shot!" Kiba shouted out, leaning closer to the railing. Dosu chuckled, _not bad, Zaku._

"What's your game?" Kakashi glared at him, "The sound village that everyone's curious about, I created it. I think you understand with out me saying any more." Orochimaru tilted his head upward. "Hmph. You and your wide eyed ambition." Kakashi's hands were at his sides, "Oh, yes. Indeed. As always. But as to play the game, as you put it, I need pieces on the board. Willing pawns to do my bidding." Orochimaru called out, his smooth voice rolling out of his throat. "So Sasuke and (Y/N) are your two pawns?" Kakashi eyed him, "Oh, (Y/N) is more valuable than that. But the others, well," Orochimaru chuckled, "Pieces must be sacrificed."

"MY ARMS!" Zaku screamed, his other knee dropped to the floor. His arms fell limp to his sides, crimson soaked through the bandages. His arms shook unnaturally, "W-What?!" Zaku shook his head in disbelief, insects were burrowing into his skin, eating their way though his flesh. Shino calmly walked behind him, Zaku screamed in horror. "Earlier when I was instructing you on my helpful advice, I sent out my little friends here to plug up those troublesome wind holes in your hands. It seems they got a little hungry on their way their. You see, one ace in the hole is good." Shino grinned down at him, Zaku was trying to keep the bugs at bay, but they continued to swarm. He kicked at the violently, but they continued to creep up his arms. "But two ace's are better." Zaku gritted his teeth, turning around to Shino, he jumped up at him, Zaku's arms flailing limply behind him. Shino smacked him out of the way, sending him tumbling to the ground once again. A trail of blood following Zaku's body.

Orochimaru walked closer to Kakashi, Kakashi didn't waver. He stood his ground, staring Orochimaru down. As Orochimaru took another step, Kakashi quickly grabbed onto his arm, opening his palm towards the ground. "Stop. Don't come any closer." Kakashi gritted his teeth, "Hm?" Orochimaru smiled as he watched lightning spark around Kakashi's extended arm. "I don't care if you are one of the sannin, I swear, you will never get between me and (Y/N)." Kakashi growled furiously, the chidori sparking to life in his palm.

Orochimaru chuckled menacingly, his smile growing as he laughed, his head tilted upwards, he was hysterical. "Funny, is it?" Kakashi held onto his other arm tightly.  
"Poor Kakashi, all your noble efforts, all in vain." Orochimaru shrugged with a smile, "What?" Kakashi breathed out. "Do you really believe that your seals will hold? Do you really think you can keep (Y/N) from me? You know I'm right. Their heart burns and hungers for only one thing, the truth." Orochimaru moved his head back down, "You think you can take advantage of that? That's not (Y/N)." Kakashi seethed, "You cannot stop it. At some point, they'll come to me. The two of them." Orochimaru turned his back on Kakashi, walking away. "(Y/N) will be mine." Orochimaru stopped half way down the hall, "Unless, of course, you want to carry out your threat to kill me. Now is your chance," Orochimaru turned his head around. "Take it if you dare." With that, Orochimaru disappeared.

Kakashi's shoulders trembled, his hand still tightly clutched around his arm as he shivered. _I-I must be out of my mind. Nothing will get between me and (Y/N)...w-what am I even thinking? They're my student._ Kakashi shook his head, breathing out a small sigh of relief as he felt Orochimaru's presence lift. Sasuke layed stiff on the floor.

Hayate knelt down to Zaku on the floor, Zaku groaned out in pain. "Looks like..." Hayate called out, "Something's bugging him." Hayate smiled at his own joke, the room was as silent as ever. "I appreciate the enthusiasm." Hayate sighed, looking back down at Zaku, Shino loomed over him. "The winner is Shino Aburame." Hayate cleared his throat, putting his hands back in his pockets as he stood back up.

"Wait. How did he do that? Who is he? Find out." Lee whispered to Neji, "Hm." Neji turned his head away from me, looking back down at the arena. Touching the side of his face, Neji sparked his byakugan back to life, zooming in on Shino. "Hm. I had no idea." Neji whispered, "Huh?" I looked over at him, turning my body away from the railing. "I thought he was using a summoning jutsu to get all those insects...but no. They're...they're actually living inside of him." Neji glared down at Shino, "Living inside of him?!" Lee jumped, Guy walked over to us, pointing his index finger up. Tenten was close behind. "There's a legend the the hidden leaf village has a clan of insect tamers." Guy called out, his other hand on his hip. I nodded, "Yeah. The Aburame Clan, Shino's a part of it. When a bug master's born, they enter a sacred pact with the insects. Shino allows them to nest in his body, and in return, they obey Shino's will." I explained with awe, Shino walked away from Zaku, heading back towards the stair case. "So this guy is one of them?" Lee asked, turning his head back to Shino. "Yep, that's right." I nodded.

"Well, that was unfortunate." Dosu said with a sigh, watching the paramedics load Zaku onto a cot. "Why did his arm's just break down like that?" Kin asked, her black hair shuffling. "Didn't you see? That Aburame freak got his bugs into Zaku's arms during the match. The blocked his airways. As soon as Zaku used his slicing sound wave, he was doomed. With it's usual output sealed off, the energy from the sound wave was trapped in his arm. Expanding, searching for an exit." Dosu looked down at Zaku's torn up arms, large gashed in his skin. "Sooner or later, something had to give." Dosu sighed, Kin's eyes widened.

"Whew..." Kurenai sighed a breath of relief. _My, it's getting chilly in here._ She relaxed her shoulders.  
"Man!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fist. "Man, that Shino guy's good! Who would've thunk it? Being so quiet, I can't wait to get my shot at him!" Naruto shouted, I sighed. "I don't think that would go over too well..." I whispered, "Huh?" Naruto asked, turning to me. "Shino's pretty cool, you're going to need more than luck to beat him." I said with a shrug, "I'll get him! Believe it!" Naruto shouted back.

"O-Oh...wow, uh...c-congratulations Shino." Hinata smiled as Shino walked back over to them. "Way to go." Kiba shrugged, "Hmph. Let's see you do the same." Shino turned away from Kiba, looking back over the railing. His eyes landed on me, I was waving my finger, talking to Naruto. Kiba growled, glaring at Shino furiously.

"Uh...alright everyone. Moving right onto the third match." Hayat called out, his voice echoing around the room. "Hm?" I turned my head around, Kakashi walked up behind me. "Kakashi-sensei!" I called out with a tone of urgency. "Hi." Kakashi smiled down at me, a bit awkwardly. "What do you mean 'hi'? Is that all you can say?! What about Sasuke? How is he doing? Is Sasuke alright?" Sakura shouted, spewing question after question. "Oh, he's fine...ish." Kakashi shrugged, "What?!" Sakura screamed, Kakashi looked over at me, his thoughts trailing off. _Sasuke won't be waking up happily, that's for sure._ Kakashi squinted his eye. _He got too close to (Y/N)..._ Kakashi shook his head. _I took it out too much on him, I shouldn't of...I need to stop. (Y/N) is my student and that's it._ Kakashi looked away from me. _At least he's in the infirmary now, he's in the hands of the anbu._

 _A_ loud click rung through the room, I looked back at the screen.  
 **TSURUGI MISUMI VS. KANKURO**

 _Heh. It's finally my turn._ Kankuro grinned. _Careful, Kankuro. You underestimate your opponent one time too many._ Baki thought with a sigh, Gaara looked over at Kankuro. _Idiot._ He thought, Mikio turned to Kankuro. "Break a leg." Mikio shrugged, "Like I need encouragement from you." Kankuro brushed Mikio off, jumping down from the railing.

Naruto watched Kankuro like a hawk. _This guy..._ Naruto thought, Kankuro stopped, facing Misumi. "I'm not like Yoroi. I don't get careless, even when it's against kids like you." Misumi looked down at Kankuro. "Heh." Kankuro smiled smuggled, "Piece of advice, once I use my jutsu, give up. Quick. If you do, I promise to make it short and painless." Misumi hissed, Kankuro crossed his arms. "Funny," Kankuro flipped the bandages off his shoulder, holding onto to crow as it banged on the floor. "I was just about to say the same thing." Kankuro chuckled, "Though, I can't promise it'll be painless." Kankuro stared Misumi down, "Uh..." Hayate broke between them.

"Um, alright then. If you're ready, let the third match begin."


	40. Kunoichi Rumble, The Rivals Get Serious!

"Let me do you a favour and end this battle quickly." Kankuro held onto the top of Crows head, bandages flapped in the wind. "You can't end it if I end it first!" Misumi hissed, dashing towards Kankuro. "Ha, pathetic." Kankuro scoffed, Misumi threw a punch toward Kankuro's face, Kankuro batted Misumi's arm out of the way, Misumi grinned from underneath him mask. "Pathetic, huh?" Misumi called out, Kankuro gritted his teeth. Misumi's arm started to wiggle, "What?" Kankuro looked down at Misumi's arm, it shot out like rubber. "What the heck!" Kankuro shouted, Misumi wrapped his arm around Kankuro's, jumping up as he twisted unnaturally in the air, wrapping his body around Kankuro's. Kankuro struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Wow! What's up with that guys body?" Naruto shouted, leaning on the railing. "Yeah! It's like he's made of jelly or something!" I agreed with a nod, "Man, that's freaky! I wish I could do that." Naruto looked back at me.  
"I dislocate everyone of my joints and then soften my body," Misumi called out from behind Kankuro, tightening his arm around Kankuro's neck. "Then, with my chakra, I can control them perfectly." Misumi grinned from behind, "Who's pathetic now, hm?" Misumi tightened his grip, Kankuro choked. "Just his chakra?" Sakura wondered, walking closer to us.

"Gnnn!" Kankuro growled, "The more you struggle, the tighter I'll squeeze." Misumi threatened, "I don't know what you're carrying in there," Misumi mention down at Crow, it was laying on the ground, "but as long as I have a hold on you, it makes no difference. I can break your neck right now, if I wanted to." Misumi smiled evilly, his glasses hanging off his nose as he glared at Kankuro. "And I will, unless you give up." Misumi gritted his teeth, Kankuro grinned. "Ha, you wanna bet?" Kankuro chuckled, "Do you want to die?" Misumi breathed out, tigning his grip around Kankuro's neck. "You fool, you're the one who's going to die here." Kankuro looked back at Misumi with a grin, Misumi furrowed his brow, getting angrier by the second. "Uh..." Hayate scratched the top of his head.

 **CRACK!**

I gasped, a loud pop echoed around the room. Kankuro's head limply fell, I gulped. "I think...he broke his neck." Lee whispered, "Huh?" Naruto jumped back, my eyes widened as I looked over to Lee. "What's the big deal?" Gaara turned his head away. Hayate let out a loud sigh.

 _Tch, what a fool. Too bad he didn't surrender,_ Misumi slowly released his grip. _Oh well,_ Misumi thought to himself, looking down at Kankuro's limp body. Little piece of paint floated down to the floor with a silent clank, "Huh?" Misumi's eyes widened. Kankuro's head started to shake wildly, before it twisted backwards. "Huh?!" Misumi gulped, his body still wrapped around Kankuro's. "Now it's my turn, so say goodbye!" Kankuro's voice started to change, paint chipping off of his wooden face. He held a fake grin, each movement his head made, a silent tick followed. It's wooden arms wrapped tightly around Misumi's chest, squeezing him like a snake. Misumi struggled against it, grunting as he desperately tried to wiggle out of his grasp. All the paint chipped away, revealing a wooden puppet in Kankuro's place. "A puppet?!" Misumi shouted, shaking his head.

A hand burst out of the bandages, chakra strings attached to the hands fingers as it moved the puppet around. "Wow." I gasped, "Whatever. It isn't that cool, I could do much better." Naruto scoffed, "Yeah? You can control puppets better than Kankuro?" I asked Naruto, turning away from the railing. "Well, not puppets, but I can do much cooler things than play with dolls!" Naruto pointed his thumb at himself, smiling.

Kankuro burst out of the bandages, the flew around in the air, circling him. _The real ninja was in their, controlling it! He's a puppet master!_ Misumi's eyes widened, "He controls it with chakra from his hand..." Sakura's eyes widened. "Gah!" Misumi was struggling, his legs starting to go numb as he desperately gasped for air. Hayate rubbed the back of his neck, having watched the scene for a good full minute. The puppets arms continued to tighten around him, like a boa constrictor. _Thinking of snakes..._ I looked down at my feet. _Oh, Kale. Where could you be? I'm so worried, it's not good with you roaming around by your self._ I shook my head, my heart sunk. _What if he bit someone? There's no way they could of gotten to the hospital on time, the poison takes affect in a matter of minutes. Besides, the anti-venum is so hard to come by..._ I shook my head. _No, Kale is a good boy, he wouldn't hurt anyone. But with Uncle O roaming around, he's been so adgitated, I'm surprised he hasn't bit me. Not that it would do much, thankfully..._

"T-That's it! I quit!" Misumi choked out with his last breath, Hayate nodded, looking back down at his clip board. "Okay, you can let him go now." Hayate waved, "But with your bones all crushed, just think about how much more flexible you'll be." Kankuro moved the strings closer, Misumi's eyes started to roll back into his head. "Come on, now." Hayate sighed, breaking to cough. _That was close, I almost stopped the match in the middle. Thank goodness I didn't._ Hayate cleared his throat, kneeling down over Misumi, he put a check mark on the paper. "Looks like someone got a little..." Hayate smiled to himself, "Tied up."

The chirping of a cricket echoed around the arena, "Oh come on, you've got to admit it was a little funny..." Hayate said with a sigh, standing back up. "Because his opponent is no long able to continue this match, the winner is Kankuro." Hayate pointed to him with a small nod.

"Two against one, I mean, isn't that hitting a bit low under the belt? Is that thing even fair, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, pointing at the puppet in Kankuro's arms. "It's not really 'two against one', it's a puppet, not another ninja." Kakashi crossed his arms, turning his head over to Naruto. "Yeah, it's just a puppet master jutsu. He's controlling it with his chakra. It's a ninja tool, like a shuriken." Sakura said matter-of-factly, watching as the paramedics carried Misumi out. _Everyone here wields their chakra perfectly, and I thought my chakra abilities would give me an edge over the others. So much for that idea._ Sakura shook her head.

"I wonder who it's going to be next." I looked up at the screen, hoping it would be my turn. "Hey, guys, I've got to use the restroom." Sakura said with a small wave, "Oh, uh, see ya Sakura." Naruto shrugged her off, "(Y/N), do you want to go with me?" Sakura asked, "Um, sure. Whatever." I nodded, _I've been so eager for the match, I forgot I had to pee. Ha, these preliminaries have got me thrown through a loop._ I put my hands in my pockets as I walked with Sakura.  
"Hm." Gaara watched me leave, Kankuro walked back to them, leaning on the railing. "You staring at (Y/N) again?" Kankuro crossed his arms. "So what if I am?" Gaara said slowly, squinting his eyes as he looked over at Kankuro. "(Y/N)..." Mikio whispered, clenching his fists. "Huh? You know them or something?" Temari asked him, he looked back at her. "Whatever. It doesn't matter." Mikio waved her off, _mysterious. (Y/N) said the same thing about Mikio._ Temari thought, touching her chin with her hand.

I sighed a breath of relief, Sakura was looking down into the sink, running her hands through the water. She wet her hand, running it through her messy hair, it glossed over. I leaned against the wall, my arms crossed as I relaxed. "Man, what a day." I heaved a heavy sigh, Sakura nodded. "I still wonder how Sasuke is doing..." Sakura said in a whisper, "Oh, he's fine. Kakashi-sensei took care of him, didn't he?" I waved.

"Tch." A voice called out, "Hm?" I looked over to the bathrooms front door, Ino stood in the middle of it, her arms crossed. "Ino." Sakura seethed, looking back at her with a mile-long glare. "Hey, how's it?" I nodded, Ino seemed to ignore me, staring intensely into Sakura's eyes. I gulped nervously, _they're at it again. Why do they always have to be like this? We were such good friends when we were younger..._ I looked down at the tiled floor.

"You sure are jumpy, Sakura." Ino said with a small grin. "Hmph." Sakura turned her head back to the sink. "I know why," Ino leaned on the door frame, "I mean, even Sasuke collapsed. And it's probably because he's so great that that's all that happened." Ino shrugged, closing her eyes. "Frankly, I don't want to imagine what would happen to you if you compete," Ino's voice took a turn, she pointed her palms up. "I think it's best if you quit, don't you?" Ino smirked, Sakura turned off the tap, looking down at her clean hands. She brushed her hand through her hair again, feeling the short ends rub against her fingers. She turned her head down, remembering when she cut it. I looked over to her, a mild expression on my face. _If I made it through that,_ Sakura thought back to the forest, _then I can make it through this too._ Sakura nodded at herself in the mirror. "I won't quit, not ever." Sakura said, turning around, she faced Ino. She walked past the bathroom stalls, stopping in front of Ino as she passed. A small grin made it's way to Sakura's face, "In fact, I can't wait." Sakura turned her head away from Ino, walking past her. I nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck as I hurried to the front of the room. "H-Hey! Sakura!" I called after her, she left the door open for me. Ino crossed her arms, watching us as we left.

"Ahem," Hayate cleared his scratchy throat, "Now, let's continue to the fourth battle." He called out to the room, put my hands over the railing again. Sakura had a confident look in her eye, her fists clenched as she watched the screen flicker though name. I bit my bottom lip, crossing my fingers. _Come on, come on!_ I closed my eyes. "Well, who ever's picked, it'll be two weirdos. This contest is chock full of em." Naruto frowned, crossing his arms. "Well, you're one to talk." Kakashi said with a small smile, "Yeah, good point." Sakura giggled, "Hey! Give me a break!" Naruto called out, putting his hands on his hips. "Hey, this isn't a time for laughing." Kakashi said, pointing to the screen. I heard a dull click, I opened my eyes in a flash, a small sigh escaped my lips. Sakura's face was emotionless.

 **SAKURA HARUNO VA INO YAMANAKA**

I turned around to Sakura, her shoulders flinched. Ino came walking down the isle, the smell of cheap soap clinging to her hands, I stared at her with wide eyes. "What's going on-" She stopped mid sentence, her eyes trailing off towards the screen. A small gasp escaped her lips. "Hm." Ino looked back at Sakura, their eyes met in a chilling stare.

The two of them climbed down the steps together, Sakura close behind Ino's back. I watched them as they walked out into the arena, a sorrowful look on my face. The two stood still, facing one another, Hayate coughed into his sleeve, holding onto the edge of the clipboard tightly.

The atmosphere between them got intense quickly. "I never thought I'd have to fight _you,_ or at least, I didn't think it would happen so soon." Ino called out, her long pony tail fluttering in the wind. "But don't expect me to go easy on you." Ino squinted her eyes at Sakura.

"Hm." Asuma touched his chin, a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. _"_ Of all the people for Ino to go up against, it would have to be Sakura. What a mess." Shikamaru sighed, Choji leaned against the railing, his gaze shifting towards me. "Yeah..." Choji whispered, his face turning pink.

"Go Sakura! You can do it!" Naruto shouted, cupping the sides of his face as he yelled. "Yeah! You're both amazing! Give it your best!" I shot my fist up into the air, an awkward smile hanging off my face.  
 _What an awkwards place (Y/N) must be caught in,_ Shikamaru thought. _Having both of their friends clash together like this. They don't know which one to root for._

"Begin." Hayate waved his hand, taking a step back from them.

"Cha!" Sakura shouted, flying a kick up to Ino with out any hesitation. Ino ducked, bending her knees as she jumped out of the way, Sakura turned her body. "Ha!" Ino shouted, clenching her fists as she let a punch go, Sakura easily dodged them, glaring angrily into Ino's eyes. Sakura jumped speedily down to the floor, sending a low sweep towards Ino, Ino jumped over Sakura's extended leg. With all fours on the floor, she jumped back. Sakura gritted her teeth, using her legs to jump back as well. She held a group of kunai in her hand, Ino's eyes widened slightly as Sakura flung them towards her. Ino caught the kunai in between her fingers, fliging them back towards her. The zipped past Sakura's head, clanking to the wall behind her as they fell to the ground. Sakura darted back to Ino.

"Oh no, I just knew it." Choji heaved a heavy sigh, turning his eyes over to the battle. "Yeah! Sakura's totally blowing Ino out of the water!" Naruto clenched his fists, "What a fool." Shikamaru turned his head away from Naruto, "What'd you say to me?" Naruto seethed, gritting his teeth as he turned around to Shikamaru. "If you wanna make something out of it, go ahead, cause you'll loose." Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, I gulped. "Who do you think you are?!" Naruto shouted, I waved my hand in the air. _Oh no, they're at it again._ I sighed.

"That's it? That's really as good as kunoichi can get at hand to hand combat?" A voice scoffed, Naruto turned around lightning fast. "What?!" Naruto shouted, "It's not because they're girls, y'know Neji." Tenten crossed her arms. "It's just that those two are using kick gloves. It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman in battle." Tenten puffed out her cheeks, "Hm." Naruto turned his head back to Sakura and Ino. "Using kick gloves?" He thought out loud.

Ino was gasping for air, a tight feeling in her chest as she stared as Sakura intently. Sweat rolled down Sakura's forehead, she wiped it, keeping her eye on Ino as they paused. Sakura put her fists in front her again, she jumped at Ino with a punch, Ino jumped out of the way with a small gasp, Sakura turned behind and met her with another fist. Ino batted her arm out of the way with her own, she twisted her body around on her heel. The both of them kicked up into the air, their legs canceling each other out as they bounced together. As Sakura calmed down her shaking leg, Ino thew a punch into Sakura's stomach. "Gah!" Sakura gasped, wide eyed as she spat out. _There!_ Ino thought, sending a punch flying to Sakura's face. Sakura's eyes looked into Ino's, she paused, her shoulders shaking as she clenched her fist.

A loud smack echoed around the arena, Sakura's face was turned, her cheek turning red. Ino held her hand in the air, frozen. "Huh?" Sakura breathed out, turning her head up to look at Ino. Ino pulled her hand back, looking down at it, a sad expression crossed her face. The arena turned silent as Ino looked down at her scuffed up hand. Ino closed her eyes.

 _"If you can't blend into enemy territory, be adapting to the people there, then you'll never be able to succeed as a spy." Suzuma tapped the side of her glasses, her black hair shifting in the wind. I looked down at the ground, hugging my knees close to my chest as I played around with a piece of grass. "In that event, today's class is flower arranging." Suzuma waved her fingers, I looked up at her, puffing out my cheeks. "But that's so boring." I whined, crossing my arms. "Boring or not, it's important to learn your surroundings. Don't forget miss (Y/N), you're here because of your misbehaving in Iruka's class. I wouldn't step out of line if I were you." Suzuma waved her index finger as she talked, I frowned. Sakura turned her head around to me with a small smile. "Now then, everyone. Go into the fields and gather distinctive flowers." Suzauma crossed her arms. "Yes ma'am." The class answered back, kids jumping up from the ground, I slumped my shoulders._

 _"Ino! (Y/N)! Wait up!" Sakura shouted, waving her hands. She tripped over her own feet, falling to the ground in a loud 'oof'. Ino crossed her arms, "Wow, what a clutz." Ino said, looking down at Sakura. "Ha..." Sakura smiled, I held my hand out to her, helping her climb back up as I tried to hold back my laughter. Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, patting dirt off of her shorts.  
I started to pull up flowers out of the ground, sending chunks of dirt flying around. Sakura gingerly picked a flower off of it'_s _stem, she rolled it around in her fingers, watching me go at it. "I'm not very good at this kind of stuff..." Sakura mumbled with a frown. I nodded, "Yeah. What's the point of these stupid flowers? They just wilt anyway." I huffed, plopping down on the ground next to them, my fists full of wild flowers. "Well, what about you, Ino?" Sakura asked, turning her head over to her. Ino smiled, "Well, that's not very good since you're named after a cherry blossom. Hey, (Y/N), you big brute, cut it out. We don't need all the flowers!" Ino put her hands on her hips, "Ha...yeah..." I put the flowers down on the grass, my hands were covered with sticky yellow pollen. "Okay, look, it's simple. I'll explain it, alright?" Ino sat down in front of us. "Hm?" I tilted my head to the side. "The first thing is, find a main flower for your bouquet." Ino pointed her finger up to the sky, her other hand on her hip. "Then you can find other flowers that compliment the main one, you see, flowers have to highlight each others beauty. There's really nothing too it once you know all the tricks." Ino shrugged, I scratched the top of my head. "For example, uh..." Ino looked around at the flowers, "Look!" She said, pointing her finger at a bunch of pink flowers. "You see those cosmos flowers? Well, if those were the main flowers of your arrangement, then the thoroughwort flowers you'd pick would complement them." Ino said with a nod, "Oh." Sakura smiled, I crossed my arms. "Then, what about these?" I asked, holding the flowers I picked up. "Those, (Y/N), are weeds. Seriously, can't you tell the difference?" Ino sighed, I slumped my shoulders down. "Listen, those cosmo flowers are the prettiest flowers in the fall. Their nickname is the autumn cherry blossoms, they can harmonize with all the other flowers." Ino explained, pointing her finger up once again. "Any autumn grass would go amazing with them in a flower arrangement." Ino nodded her head, putting her arms back down in her lap. "Oh...ha..." Sakura smiled. Ino picked a flower out of the grass, holding it up to her face, she gave us a wink. "So, do I look as beautiful as the cosmos flowers now? Come on, tell me, do I look cute?" Ino smiled at us, I giggled. "Ah...uh, yeah." Sakura nodded, Ino dropped the flower back into the grass. "What's with the pause, huh?" Ino asked, Sakura giggled hugging her knees close to her chest._

 _"Well, well. Sure looks like your having a lot of fun, billboard brow." Ami, the academies bully said, storming by with her friends Kasumi and Fuki. "Hey! Leave Sakura alone!" I shouted, standing up to her, I put my hands on my hips. "Hey, look who decided to show their ugly mug. I thought you would of learnt to keep it in a bag by now, (Y/N)." Ami put her hands on her hips, I furrowed my brow. Sakura looked down at the ground, I crossed my arms. "Whatever, at least I'm not as ugly as you." I pouted, "What did you say?" Ami took a step closer to me, I glared at her. "You know, you're nothing but a hopeless little kid, so don't go strutting around like your hot stuff, got it?" Ami grinned, flicking my forehead as she got up close to me. Ino shot up lightning fast, flinging a hand full of flowers into Ami's mouth. "Gah!" Ami gasped, stumbling back. "Ami!" Kasumi and Fuki squealed at the same time, running over to their friends aid. She was flat out on the ground, Ino grinned down at her. "Sorry, that head of yours looked so empty, that I mistaked it for a vase." Ino shrugged, pointing her palms upward. "INO!" Ami screamed, clenching her fists as she sat up on the grass, flowers hanging out of her mouth. "It's aconite, a shinobi flower." Ino said, playing with one in her hand. "It really isn't that poisonous, but you might want to spit those out when you've got a chance." Ino squinted her eyes down at Ami, Sakura gasped._

 _Ami screamed, pulling the plants out of her mouth as she ran away, her friends close behind her. "Ha! And you better run!" I shouted, waving my fist at them as they ran. Ino giggled, "I forgot to say that only the root is poisonous." She laughed, giving us a wink. I smiled down at her, Sakura's face turned pink. Ino is so great! Sakura thought with a smile, her clothes are so stylish and she's way cute, she's even good with her shuriken...Sakura looked down at the flower in her hand. And her jutsu is awesome too. Compared to that I'm...nothing. Sakura lost her smiled, I looked down at her. "Hm?" Ino turned her head back to Sakura. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ino asked, "Ino, if you're a cosmos flower, then...am I just a thoroughwort?" Sakura whispered, it looked like she was about to cry. Ino sighed, leaning back in the grass. "Now, why would you say that?" Ino shook her head, "Uh..." Sakura looked back at Ino, Ino's head way up to the sky. "Well, let's see...actually I don't think you're a flower at all Sakura. In a manner of speaking, you're still a bud, waiting to bloom." Ino said with a smile. "Hm?" Sakura tilted her head. "Ha...yeah, you're right..." Sakura looked back down at her hands. "Yeah! And I'm a snake!" I shouted, dancing around with a bunch of grass in my hair._

Sakura looked up at Ino, she balled her hands tightly into fists. "Alright, listen up, Ino." Sakura called out, Ino squinted her eyes at her. "I'm not going to fight with you over Sasuke." Sakura shook her head, I tightened my hands around the railing. "What did you say?!" Ino shouted, thrusting her shoulders back angrily. "I'm not the weak needy girl I used to be! And you're not even on my radar, besides, you're not even Sasuke's type! Ino, pig!" Sakura shouted, Ino furrowed her brow. "Sakura! You better watch your step! Do you have any idea who you're mouthing off to?! Just don't press your luck with me, little billboard brow!" Ino screamed, shaking her head side to side. I heaved a heavy sigh, hanging my head low. _And just once when I thought they were going to stop fighting._ I closed my eyes. "D-Did you hear that stuff? Sakura was so mean. That's kind of out of line, isn't it? She sure made Ino mad, I don't think I've every seen her look so scary." Naruto said, looking over to me. "That's not it," I shook my head, "Even though Sakura and Ino are always fighting, I know they haven't forgotten just how good of friends they were when we were younger." I said with a small smile, "Now, if that creep Sasuke hadn't shown up, they would still be friends." I sighed, crossing my arms.

"So, I'm the bud that hasn't flowered, huh?" Sakura stared Ino down, my eyes widened, remembering the time in the meadow we spent together.

 _"Say...uh, Ino." Sakura whispered, I sat down next to them. "Sorry, what?" Ino called out, Sakura turned her head to Ino. "Why did...y-you give me this ribbon? What's it supposed to mean?" Sakura asked her, Ino's face was slightly shocked. "Hm? Well, actually...let's just say I thought it would be a real big waste to see you wilt away as nothing but a bud." Ino said with a nod, looking back up at the sky. Sakura's face flashed pink, "I mean, how sad is it if flowers never bloom?" Ino smiled, a soft breeze floated though the medown like a wave, rustling the grass as it passed. "For all we know, that little bud...it might become a flower even more beautiful than the cosmos." Ino smiled, Sakura froze. Her shoulders started to shake, she turned her head away. She bit down on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering, tears welled up in Sakura's eyes. I sat up straight, a sad smile on my face. Thank you Ino, thank you. Sakura thought, Ino stood up. "Come on, we've got to finish our assignment." Ino laughed, putting her hands on her hips. "O-Okay..." Sakura whispered, "What's wrong, Sakura?" Ino asked, "U-Uh, I just got some dirt in my eye. That's all." Sakura sniffled, "Yeah! Come on! Let's see if we can find some cool bugs, or maybe another snake!" I punched my fist up into the air, Ino giggled. "Ha, you can have all the fun with the bugs as you want, just don't get them near me!" Ino giggled, I laughed, dancing around in the grass._

 _Ino. All along, I've been trying to live my life by the way you said to me so long ago. I thought that if I tried hard enough, that I could do it. That I could be a beautiful flower instead of a bud, always waiting to bloom. So I set my sights on you, because I wanted to be like you from the start. You set an example for me that gave me a goal to strive toward, and it's because of that that I made it as far as I did._ Sakura looked down at the ground, a small smile on her lips. I watched them with a heavy heart, leaning lightly on the railing. _It's why I'm here today._ _But now, I don't want you to hold me back. It's time I surpassed you. If you don't try your very best, then there's no point._ Sakura thought, closing her eyes as she reached to the back of her head. She untied her head band that kept her hair out of her face. She pulled it off, her light pink hair flowing freely. Ino's eyes widened.

"W-What in the world is going on?" Naruto asked, his voice going soft. I sniffled, "What do you mean?" Kakashi-sensei called out, his arms crossed. "Why are those two getting so worked up just looking at each other?" Naruto asked, he shook his head, confused. Kakashi patted me on the top of the head, his other hand on Naruto's shoulder. _He just can't see that he's exactly the same way when it comes to Sasuke._ Kakashi thought with a small smile, I rubbed my eyes. "Well, Naruto, rivalry is a tricky business. Not that I would know." Kakashi shrugged, "Hm?" Guy turned his head around, "Heh. Oh, hi there." Kakashi waved to Guy, Guy put his hands on his hips. _What else would I expect from my old rival Kakashi? Yet another bland senseless statement. Man, it really works me up when he acts so cool!_ Guy clenched his fists.

Ino's hands fell to her sides.  
 _"Guess what? I got put on the same team as Sasuke." Sakura told Ino, she shrugged. "So what? Why are you telling me this now?" Ino scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I won't loose to you, not any more, Ino." Sakura clenched her fists, Ino's mouth opened slightly. "Sounds like a good idea to me," Ino smiled, "And no matter what happens, I won't loose to you either, Sakura. Okay?" Ino said, putting her hands on her hips. Sakura dug into her back pocket, holding the red ribbon loosely in her hand, she extended her arm towards Sakura. The ribbon? Ino thought, looking down at it's dulled red colour. "I'm giving this back." Sakura announced. "Tch." Ino turned her head away, furrowing her brow, her nose twinged, she wanted to cry. Ino shook her head, a small grin rising to her face as she shook the feelings off. "Hmph. That's a gift, it's to hold your hair back. I mean, that headbands really supposed to go on your forehead, right?" Ino shrugged, Sakura shook her head. "From here on out, I'm not longer someone who's going to chase after you, Ino." Sakura closed her eyes, "Hm?" Ino gritted her teeth. "When this goes on my forehead," Sakura touched the soft blue fabric of her headband. "That's when I'll become a true shinobi." A small breeze broke between them, their stares intensining as Ino struggled to hold back tears. Sakura never noticed, Ino closed her eyes. "T-That's a good plan." Ino said in a strained tone, she clasped Sakura's hand with her own, the ribbon being held between them. "Me too. Until then."_

"Heh. I understand," Ino said, pulling her headband from her waist. "Sakura." A shadow moved across Ino's face as she tied the headband around her forehead, Sakura did the same, tying a tight not. She pulled it closed. They faced each other as equals. _This time, we do it right. No holding back. A fair fight._ They thought together, their minds on the same course. **_And I'm going to win!_**


	41. The Ultimate Battle, Cha!

The wind howled through the front doors, a draft picking up in side the large room. A cold sweat ran down the back of my neck, I shivered, though I kept my eyes on the battle below. No matter how cold the room got, the tension between Sakura and Ino was still hot, they burned into each other, each anticipating their opponents actions. Even though the odd feelings I was getting from around the room, and Mikio's presence growing near, I couldn't take my eyes off of the fight. I desperately wanted it to end, the thought of either Sakura or Ino getting hurt was too much to bear, and it made it even worse that they were the ones to do it to each other. Naruto was close to my side, his shoulder lightly brushed against mine, I barely noticed it. A small smile came to Naruto's face as he lightly pushed his arm closer to mine, Kakashi stared at him. His fists clenched as he watched Naruto, his patience running thin. He couldn't stand to see anyone close to me other than him, if I had seen his stare, I would of thought he wanted to murder Naruto.

Mikio watched me from the other side of the room, his arms crossed as he leaned against the back wall. A dark shadow covered most of his body, rage bounced around inside him, like an animal trying the break free from a cage. _Orochimaru has (Y/N) wrapped around his fingers,_ Mikio squinted his eyes, _the only reason he would want someone as pathetic as them would be because they had something important to him._ Mikio grinded his teeth together, _then that must mean...(Y/N) had the daigan._ Mikio closed his eyes, _whatever. The kekkei genkai is just as useless as the others,_ he scoffed, anger turning in his stomach. _I can beat them, whether they have the daigan or not. They're just as weak as before. That is, if I can get to them first._ Mikio looked over at Gaara, _the only time he stares at someone is when they've crossed him, he must really want (Y/N) dead. But...that odd look in his eye. It almost looks like he's...at ease or something._ Mikio shook his head, _yeah right, Gaara has probably never been peaceful in his life, damn psycho._ Mikio thought with a grin. In a small snap, Gaara looked back at Mikio in the corner of his eye, Mikio jumped, pushing against the wall a bit more. A chill ran down his spine. "You. Mikio." Gaara turned his head around, "Huh? What is it?" Mikio closed his eyes, tilting his head down. "You know...(Y/N), don't you. Tell me, who they are." Gaara said in a commanding tone, he turned around to him. Mikio turned his head away, "(Y/N)'s nothing. I'm surprised you're even wasting your time with them." Mikio shrugged, "What?" Gaara squinted his eyes at him, Mikio cleared his throat. "Oh, uh, well. Um..." Mikio put his hands in his pockets. "Pointless. An idiot like you would never give me a straight answer." Gaara turned away from him, Mikio was fuming. "I'd be careful, if I were you." Temari whispered to Mikio, he shot his eyes over to her. "Not only will Gaara kick your butt if you say something bad about (Y/N), I will too." Temari turned away from Mikio, her arms crossed. "Ha, what an idiot." Kankuro shrugged, shaking his head. Gaara ignored them.

Kiba heaved a heavy exasperated sigh, leaning his head against the wall. Hinata sat down on the ground, she held a medicine bottle in her hands. _I wanted to give this to (Y/N) so they could calm down Kale...it's full of lavender and other calming herbs. I hope (Y/N)'s doing alright._ Hinata thought, looking up at me from the floor. Her face turned pink, _they're so cute, nervously watching their friend battle._ Hinata lightly touched the side of her face, snuggling deep into her jacket.  
 _Man, this is lame._ Kiba groaned, rolling his eyes. _When is it going to be my turn? I hate waiting around like this, having to watch these losers fight._ Kiba put his hand gently over Akamaru's back, Akamaru was snuggled into his chest, lightly shaking. _I just want to go home, Akamaru is still freaked out. He needs some rest._ Kiba shook his head, standing up straight. _I bet (Y/N)'s tired too. They're all scuffed up, guess that forest really took it out of them. Still, there's something off about them ever since they came out of the forest. (Y/N)'s been touching her neck an awful lot, their knees buckling like they're in a lot of pain. Come to think of it, that lameo Sasuke had the same thing going on._ Kiba touched his chin with his open hand, thinking back on it. Shino clenched his fists inside of his pockets, he didn't like the draft. He stared at my back, his mind slowly wandering off as he stared. _(Y/N)'s so...beautiful._ He thought, his gaze softening, his body relaxed. _(Y/N)...do you love me back?_ Shino thought, hiding his blushing face inside of his coat.

"Ugh, what a drag." Shikamaru said in a whisper, Choji nodded his head. "Yeah, I hope Ino's going to be alright..." Choji whispered back. "Ino's going to be fine, she can handle this, friend or not." Shikamaru said, crossing his arms. "Yeah, I bet you're right." Choji agreed, dangling his legs off of the side of the platform. He leaned his face on the rusty bars of the railing, "But..." Choji grumbled, his stomach rumbling loudly. "I'm so hungry, I feel like I'm gonna die!" Choji whined, Asuma heard his complaint loud and clear. "Well, how about this." Asuma waved his hand at Choji, "When this whole thing is done, I'll take you all to get some barbecue. How about it?" Asuma asked, crossing his arms. Choji perked his head up, "That sounds awesome!" He shouted, Shikamaru let out a long sigh. _It's always the same with Choji, if there's food involved, he would do anything._ Shikamaru turned his head away from them, watching me from the far corner of the isle. "Say, Asuma-sensei." Shikamaru looked up at him, "Huh? What is it?" Asuma asked, crossing his arms. "Can I bring a friend if we go out for barbecue?" Shikamaru asked, Asuma gulped. _A friend, that's gonna cost extra...well, I guess it couldn't hurt, too much any way._ "Sure. But only one." Asuma answered back, Shikamaru nodded. _Perfect. I hope (Y/N) likes barbecue._ Shikamaru thought with a small smile.

Lee's group slowly transitioned closer to ours, Lee looked over at Naruto. Naruto had taken a small pace apart from me, the battle going on distracted me from everything else. Neji watched Lee closely, with each move he made, Neji copied, keeping a space between him and me with his body. Tenten ignored them, walking past both Neji and Lee. "Hey, (Y/N)." Tenten called out behind me, she smiled sweetly. "Hm?" I turned my head around to greet her. "Oh, uh, hi." I said, smiling back. "You wouldn't mind if I stood here and watched the battle with you, right?" Tenten tilted her head slightly. "No, not at all." I said back with a small nod, Tenten took a step close to the other side of me. Tenten quietly turned her head back to them, she gave them a small wink before sticking out her tongue. _And that boys, is how it's done._ Tenten thought with a smug smile, turning her head back around. Lee watched in awe. "Hey! (Y/N)!" Lee jumped, breaking between Naruto and me. "Huh?" I turned my head over to him, my face flushing pink. "You wouldn't mind me standing here, right? To watch the battle." Lee asked, trying to copy Teten. "Um, sure. You can stay here too." I nodded, relaxing my arms on the railing. Naruto got pushed away he furrowed his brow. Neji took a step closer. "Hey. You." He called out behind me, I gulped. "Yeah?" I asked him, was peered over my shoulder. "I'm standing here whether you like it or not." Neji huffed, crossing his arms, he turned his head away. "Uh...okay?" I scratched the back of my neck, Neji's cheeks turned red.  
"Hm?" Guy looked back down around him, noticing all his teammates gone. He put his hands on his hips as he looked to the side. _Kakashi..._ Guy squinted his eyes at him. _Trying to steal my students, huh? Too bad Kakashi, they already know who's much cooler and more talented! Remember, you're still loosing, my dear rival._ Guy glared at him angrily, "Huh?" Kakashi's eye traveled from me to Guy, Guy started to walk closer. _What would he want...oh._ Kakashi looked around at all the kids that had gathered around him.  
"Hey! Bushy brow!" Naruto shouted, flailing his fists in the air. Lee ignored him. Tenten slowly creeped her hand across the top of the railing, inching it ever so closely to mine. Her soft pink touched the side of my hand, I didn't feel it. She smiled, her face turning pink as she lightly placed her hand over mine. "Huh?" I whispered, feeling her warm hand snuggle down on mine, I looked over to her. Lee's eyes widened, acting hastily, he threw his arm over my shoulders. I jumped, my heart pounding in my chest. Lee's face was bright red as he contemplated his actions, Tenten furrowed her brow. "Um..." I cleared my throat, looking down at the railing, I was incredibly uncomfortable. "Hm." Neji crossed his arms, taking a step closer from behind me, I felt boxed in. "I said 'hey'!" Naruto shouted, clenching his hands into fists. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, watching the scene take place.

In the blink of an eye, Sakura was up. Ino jumped up quickly, running towards her full speed, watching each movement Sakura made intently. Sakura clasped her hands together, Ino squinted her eyes at Sakura as her clones joined her side. _Just some normal jutsu._ Ino thought with a scoff, "This isn't the academy's graduation exam, do you really think you could beat me with a basic ninja art like that?" Ino shouted, running towards Sakura and her clones. Sakura stayed silent a small grin on her face. Ino jumped, skidding to a halt. Ino squinted her eyes, _if I look carefully, I can find out which is the real one!_ She thought, raising her hands defensively in front of her. Sakura closed her eyes, a strong hand sign keeping her arms together.  
 _I'll send chakra to my feet for a burst of speed..._ "What?!" Ino gasped, a strong punch sending her back down to the ground, one of Sakura's clones evaporated,Ino's body skidded to the floor. "I'm not some crybaby any more, you play with fire, you're gonna get burned!" Sakura shouted, her strong voice echoed around the arena. "Let's see your best, Ino!" Ino climbed up on her knee, she wiped a drop of blood off her chin, "It's not like I needed your invitation, y'know." Ino said through gritted teeth, glaring at Sakura from the ground. "I'll give you my best, but you're not gonna like it!" Ino shouted back, getting back up onto her feet, she glared at Sakura from across the room.  
"You're doing awesome Sakura!" I shouted through all the mayhem, shaking off the people around me. "Huh?" Naruto turned around, he completely forgot about Sakura. "Oh, you're amazing Sakura!" Naruto turned around, standing next to me once again. "Believe it!" "She's using her chakra to strengthen her blows..." Kakashi mumbled from behind, "Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, looking behind him. "I've never seen Sakura fight to good. Topnotch for a rookie." Kakashi nodded, "Hold on!" Naruto blurted out, spinning around on his heel. "You aren't saying Sakura's better than me, are you?!" Naruto shouted, Kakashi smiled through his mask. "No, you're the greatest." Kakashi said with a small laugh, Naruto sighed, looking down at the ground.  
Sakura kicked up on her heel, dashing towards Ino once again. Ino copied her, like a mirror. She pulled back her arm for another punch, Ino followed, extending her arm out towards Sakura. They caught each others fists in their palms, a surprise twist, but they didn't stop fighting. Sakura dug her heel into the ground and started to push, bending her elbows out, Ino pushed back, her knees buckled before Sakura pushed away. Ino flew back, surprise on her face. Sakura reached down the side of her leg, pulling a shuriken out of her holster. Gritting her teeth, Ino saw a shimmer of light coming from Sakura's side, she pulled out her own shuriken. They hit each other in the middle, clanging down to the floor.  
I clenched my fists, _Sakura and Ino are just as good as each other! This battle could rang for quite a while._ I thought with a small sigh, _come on, Sakura, I know you can do it._

Jagged breaths and loud slaps sounded around the arena, Sakura stumbled back, Ino was crouched down, her arm raised to fly another punch. _Since when did she get this strong?!_ Ino retracted back, glaring Sakura down as she held her arm back. Sakura gritted her teeth, watching Ino intently, she drew a punch of her own. _I can do this, I can do this!_ Sakura chanted to herself. _I know I can!_ Sakura let her punch fly, "You little-" Sakura's fist dug into the side of Ino's face, while Ino's dug into hers. "Gnnnn!" They flew back, knocking each other down.  
"Whoa..." Naruto whispered, watching Sakura skid back on the ground. _At this rate, this battle will never end._ Kakashi thought with a sigh, his arms crossed. Hayate nervously cleared his throat, _this has been going on for so long..._ Hayate looked back down at his clipboard. _They've been at it for ten minutes._

"This isn't how it was supposed to go!" Ino screamed out, clenching her fists as she climbed back up to her feet. Sakura calmed her breathing back down as she stood up. "How can you be evenly matched with me?!" Ino blurted out in frustration, Sakura had a small smile on her face. "Heh. I guess you're right Ino. Your obsession with your looks and your hair can't be surpassed, I've been training too hard too bother with that stuff." Sakura said with a small shrug, Ino gritted her teeth, pulling a kunai out of her holster. "You're gonna pay for that! I've had enough of you making fun on me!" Ino shouted, stomping her foot down. "What an idiot." Shikamaru mumbled, "Ino's taking the bait. She's so riled up, there's no telling what she'll do." Shikamaru shrugged with a small sigh. "Oh man, I hate it when she's like this..." Choji whispered.

Ino grabbed a kunai from her side, she held it tightly in her hand. "Hm?" Sakura watched Ino, wondering. Ino closed her eyes, the held the blade up, moving it closer to her head. Ino sliced her ponytail off in one quick motion, slithers of her hair fell down around her shoulders. My eyes widened.  
"Heh. You think that's gonna help?" Sakura called out, her hands on her hips. _Uh oh..._ Shikamaru thought, _I think she's totally lost it this time._ Ino held her hair up in her fist, "THAT'S IT!" Ino screamed, throwing her hair towards Sakura, it fell to the ground. "See?! I don't need this!" Ino shouted, her fists in the air. Sakura had a small smile on her face, she crossed her arms. Naruto scratched the top of his head, "And I thought she looked scary before..." Naruto mumbled, I sighed. "She grew her hair out so long, it's sad to see Ino cut it all off just because she's mad." I shook my head, "But then again...growing your hair out just for Sasuke is a bit of a waste as well." I tapped my chin.

"Alright, I'll put an end to this right now!" Ino shouted, clasping her hands together. "Get ready to tell every one that you lost to me, billboard brow!" Ino grinned, a hand sign in front of her chest. "Wait...don't tell me she's gonna..." Shikamaru whispered, "Yep." Choji sighed, shaking his head. Ino thrusted her arms out, creating a circle with her fingers, she glared through the circle like a looking glass. _If I recall, that sign is..._ Sakura thought, her eyes widening. "It's the mind transfer jutsu sign..." Shikamaru whispered back to Choji. "Hm?" Asuma bent over the railing, scratching his head. _Aw man, what an idiot._ Asuma thought, shaking his head.

"Look, I know you're frustrated, but come on, it's pointless." Sakura called out, shaking her head. Ino squinted her eyes at her, "Oh, yeah? We'll just see about that!" Ino seethed, "Ninja Art, Mind Transfer Jutsu. It allows the user to take control of their opponents body for a few minutes by discharging all their spiritual energy and striking their enemy with it. But you can only fling your spiritual energy so far, and it moves at a super slow speed. And if the spiritual energy misses the users opponent, the user can't go back to their own body for several minutes, and your body would be rendered useless." Sakura shook her head as she explained it in a know-it-all attitude. _The mind transfer jutsu is only useful for spying, it's not a battle jutsu._ Asuma thought with a sigh, he took another puff from his cigarette. _Ino, using that jutsu here would be suicide._ Asuma crossed his arms, shaking his head.  
"Hm." Kakashi took a step closer between me and Naruto, _it's a powerful jutsu, but as long as Sakura can dodge it, it's not really a threat._ Kakashi shrugged, _plus, if she can avoid it, she can attack Ino with out any resistance. If that happens, Hayate will be forced to bring the match to an end._

"So what?! I don't care! I won't know unless I try!" Ino shouted back, Sakura turned towards Ino. "If you miss, it's all over. You do know that, right?" Sakura said with a small smile, her arms crossed. _She's only supposed to use this with me, so I can stop the person first with my shadow possession jutsu._ Shikamaru shook his head, _if she uses it this way, it'll never work. There's no way she'll hit Sakura._

Ino locked her focus on Sakura, Sakura darted out of the way, kicking up slithers of Ino's hair as she ran. "Don't do it!" Asuma called out, Ino ignored him. "Ninja Art, Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Ino shouted, her eyes rolled back into her head. Ino fell to the ground, Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. Silence filled the arena. "Uh...did it work?" Shikamaru wondered, his arms crossed.

"Hehehe..." Sakura chuckled, her shoulders shook. "What an unfortunate choice..." Sakura sighed, "So...it's all over, right?" Shikamaru asked, "I can't believe she did it." Choji said, shaking his head. "You're done, Ino." Sakura called out, taking a step closer. "Huh?!" Sakura gasped, something pulled back on her ankle. She looked down at the ground, Ino's hair wrapped around Sakura's legs, Sakura's eyes widened. "You fell for it, Sakura." Ino laughed, holding onto strands of her hair, she was pouring her chakra into it. Sakura gritted her teeth. "Ha! I finally caught you!" Ino's head shot up, a smile growing on her lips. "It can't be!" Sakura gasped out, her eyes wide open.  
"I'm afraid it can." Ino grinned, "All those hand signs earlier were just and act to fool you to running right into the trap I've laid here for you. And it worked. Now, you can't move at all, can you?" Ino chuckled, she raised her hands, holding the hair together with her foot. "Now that you're trapped, I can take over your body and make you say that you're giving up on this match!" Ino shouted out, clapping her hands together once again. "There's no way I'll ever miss with this jutsu now!"

"Now I see..." I mumbled, leaning on the railing. "You gotta get out of there, quick!" Naruto shouted, Sakura struggled to get untangled from Ino's hair, gritting her teeth as she kicked and thrashed. _I can_ 't _move!_ Sakura clenched her fists, Ino stared at Sakura through her fingers, locking her down. "Now," Ino began. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Ino's body limply toppled over, the hair loosening. Sakura looked down at the ground, a shadow growing over her face, her head twitching. "Ha...that's really unfortunate." Sakura called out, her voice bouncing around the arena. "I don't get it..." Naruto scratched the top of his head, "I mean, what's going on with Ino? And Sakura's acting super strange, believe it!" Naruto crossed his arms, nodding his head up and down. I sighed, shaking my head too and fro. "Have you been paying any attention to the battle? I mean, seriously." I sighed, "This is her chance!" Naruto shouted with a smile, "Come on Sakura! Do it already! Attack!" Naruto shouted, punching his fist up into the air. I facepalmed. "The mind transfer jutsu worked...Sakura's done for." I explained to Naruto, shaking my head. "Mind transfer...?" Naruto turned back to me, "D-Does that mean..." "Yes!" I shouted, waving my hands around. "Sakura's spirit has been completely taken over by Ino." I said with a frown, Lee turned towards me. "What?" Naruto tilted his head, "Ino's spirit is inside of Sakura now." I mumbled, turning away from Naruto. "Well, I'm guessing that Ino's goal is probably..."

Ino grinned, her smile showing up on Sakura's face. _Just like that, it's over. Now then, Sakura, if you'd be so kind._ Ino thought, chuckling to her self as she pulled on Sakura's arm, it slowly started to raise. Naruto gasped. "Huh?" Hayate turned his head towards Sakura, he had been spacing out for the past five minutes. Sakura raised her hand, "I, Sakura Haruno, would like to-" "NO!" Naruto shouted out, "Don't do it Sakura!" Naruto shouted, shaking his head. "Man, that kid's so annoying!" Ino grunted, "You've worked so hard to get here! Don't loose to that lame Ino girl!" Naruto shouted out, leaning on the balcony. My eyes widened. "Yell all you want, there's nothing that you can do now." Ino said back, turning her head away from Naruto. "Huh?!" Ino gasped, Sakura's arm shook violently as she tried to keep it up.

"What?" Ino breathed out, Sakura's whole body started to shake. "Gnnnnn!" Ino held her hands over her ears, her knees buckled, "What's happening to me?!" Ino screamed, her knees dropping to the floor, pain ricketing through her body. _Naruto's so annoying, but he's right! I can't let Ino beat me!_ Sakura shouted, her voice bouncing around Ino's head. "S-Sakura?!" Ino shouted, shaking her throbbing head. I gasped, turning to Naruto.

"Naruto, I think your shouting is helping Sakura!" I gasped, my fists clenched. "Yeah!" Naruto nodded, turning his head back to the railing. "Come on Sakura! You can do it!" I shouted out, thrusting my fists in the air. "T-This can't be happening!" Ino shouted in disbelief.  
"What's wrong? Are you withdrawing or not?" Hayate asked, his arms crossed. "Gnnnnnn!" Sakura bubbled up, "NO I WONT BE WITHDRAWING! NOT TODAY OR ANY OTHER DAY! CHA!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs, "(Y/N) IS SO ANNOYING!" Sakura screamed, shaking her head back and forth. "Ah...I-I thought I was helping..." I breathed out, looking back down at the ground. _What the heck is going on?!_ Ino gritted her teeth, feeling a strong push knock her back. "Sakura?" I called out, she was shaking violently.

 _But my jutsu is unbeatable! No!_ Ino shook her head, "INO! You're going to be in way bigger trouble than you've ever seen if you don't get out of me right now!" Sakura shouted, flailing her fists in the air, her legs were still trembling. "Gah! I c-can't hold onto her!" Ino shouted, shaking her head. "Release!" She shouted, clasping her hands together, she fled back into her body.

Sakura fell to her knees, gasping for air. _She shattered Ino's jutsu..._ Shikamaru's eyes widened, _she must of used too much chakra before attempting the jutsu._ Asuma shrugged. Ino gasped, "H-How can you have two spirits in you? J-Just what are you, anyway?!" Ino shouted out, Sakura's shoulders shook. "Ha...some one who is just as strong as she is beautiful." Sakura grinned, closing her eyes. Kakashi looked down at her, _once you're caught in that jutsu, it's not easy to cast out the invader. Ino's lack of chakra contributed, that's for sure, but even more important than that was Sakura's defiant heart and her combative attitude towards Ino. It also seems (Y/N) had something to do with it...their voice awoke Sakura's spirit, allowing her to cast Ino out. But now, both of them are almost out of chakra. This battle will come down to brute force._

Sakura jumped up again, dashing towards Ino with a fist raised. Ino copied her, anger bubbling through her veins. They hit each other. For the last time.

Sakura skidded back on the ground, pieces of Ino's hair caught onto the back of her top as she laid down on the floor. Ino was gasping for air, down on the ground, an equal ways away. She struggled with her last bit of energy to get up, but she had nothing left. They were both down for the count. Hayate looked at both of them.  
I sighed a breath of relief, _they both did amazing._ I thought silently to my self, I was just happy they were done fighting. "Since neither opponent is able to continue, by double knock out, no one gets through the fourth battle of this preliminary. This match is over."

"Sakura!" I shouted out, leaning over the balcony. "Well, then..." Kakashi mumbled, jumping down into the arena. "Great..." Asuma sighed, picking Ino up into his arms, Kakashi flew Sakura over his shoulder. "Ino! Sakura!" I ran over to them, Naruto followed close behind me, Shikamaru and Choji walking their way over, Lee was by my side. Kakashi and Asuma sat Ino and Sakura down at each others side, Kakashi knelt down. "Is Sakura okay?!" I shouted, "Shush, everything's going to be fine." Kakashi patted me on the back, I crossed my arms. Asuma stood back up.  
"They'll probably just wake up after a while. But they certainly put up a great fight." Asuma sighed, nodding his head. I sat down in between them.


	42. Killer Kunoichi and a Shaky Shikamaru

The screen flashed to life. It cycled through names, shuffling them like cards.

 **TENTEN VS TEMARI**

I sighed, rolling my head over. Ino was starting to wake up, I smiled over at her. Tenten jumped up onto the railing eagerly, "Hey, (Y/N)!" She called back to me before jumping off, "Hm?" I looked up at her, "See ya." She giggled, her face pink as she jumped down. "Um...see ya?" I scratched the top of my head.  
 _After watching that last fight, I'm fired up! (Y/N) is just too cute, ah~!_ Tenten clasped her hands together, giggling to herself. Temari walked down into the arena, her hands on her hips. "What's so funny?" She grumbled, looking down at Tenten. "Nothing, nothing." Tenten waved her off.  
 _So, this is the second genin from the sand village._ Neji thought, crossing his arms. "Go Tenten!" Lee cheered her on, "This should be interesting to watch, at the very least." Neji shrugged.

"Gnnnnn..." Sakura's nose twitched, "Hey! I think she's wakin up!" I whispered, climbing up to my knees. A small smile hung from Ino's face. "So, you're finally waking up, huh, Sakura." Ino crossed her arms, Sakura gasped, sitting up with her eyes wide open. "Come on Tenten! Use the power of youth!" Lee shouted, "Huh?" Sakura turned her head over to him, I sighed a breath of relief. "Nice Lee, let's hear that support! You can do it, Tenten!" Guy cheered along with him, his fists in the air. "Our match is already over." Ino said with a small shrug, I turned my head back to them. "Yeah, and now that your match is over, you two never have to fight again! Never! Understand?" I pointed at both of them, "So...that means I lost then..." Sakura whispered looking down at the ground, "Ha. That's no fair. I'm the one who wants to cry. To think I tied with you, I still cant believe that happened." Ino shook her head, her voice was soft. "Huh?" Sakura looked over at her, I shook my head. "Here." Ino called out, holding Sakura's head band out for her to grab. "Looks like you got a flower to bloom. A beautiful flower." Ino smiled, tears rolled down Sakura's scuffed up cheeks. My eyes widened, Sakura held onto Ino's hand. I sniffled, feeling tears peck at my eyes. "You guys!" I gasped, wrapping my arms around both of them.  
"Hey!" Ino shouted, "You big crybaby." She scoffed, I smiled up at her. "I'm happy." I smiled, "Oh, and Sakura. The next time we fight, I won't let you go the easy way out by fainting again." Ino spat out, her arms crossed. Sakura turned her head away, "Oh, and don't forget. I won't just hand over Sasuke too you either, understand, Sakura?" Ino smiled smugly to herself, Sakura clenched her fists. Sakura turned her head over to Ino, her eyes blazing. "Oh, yeah? Well that goes double for you Ino, you ugly pig!" Sakura shouted back, her fist raised. I gulped, taking a small scoot back. "Gnnnnn!" Ino growled angrily, "Hphm!" She crossed her arms as she looked away from Sakura, I sighed, looking back down at my lap.

"The fifth match..." Hayate called out from the arena, I turned my head around. _I almost forgot!_ I thought with a small gasp, spinning up on my feet. "Hm?" Ino looked back over to me, I stood up as I walked over to the railing.

"May the fifth match begin." Hayate's voice echoed around the arena.

"Alright Tenten!" Lee and Guy continued to cheer from the sidelines, Naruto leaned on the railing, puffing out his cheeks. _When will it be my turn?_ He sighed, slouching his shoulders.  
"Hm?" Tenten squinted her eyes at Temari, jumping back, Tenten stared at her intently. "Come on Tenten! You're doing great, keep her guessing!" Lee shouted out with a smile, "Go for it! You've got the power of youth!" Guy yelled with a nod, shooting a fist up. "Come on Tenten! Send that girl back to her village on a stretcher! We believe in you all the way Tenten!" Lee danced around, his arms in the air, Tenten sighed. _His cheering is starting to get on my nerves._ She thought with a small sigh. "Let's hear it! Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate?!" Guy chanted, "Woohooo!" Lee added, dancing around in circles, Naruto slapped his hands over his ears, trying to ignore them. "Tenten! You go!" "How did I get stuck in the cheering section?" Naruto groaned, I popped my head up with a smile, trying not to laugh.

 _Hm. Tenten is carefully determining her distance. Just what I'd expect from her. She's well positioned to attack or defend._ Lord Hokage thought with a nod, rubbing his chin. Hayate sighed, "What are you waiting for? I said to begin." He looked at both of them, impatiently tapping the edge of his clip board. Tenten kept quiet, keeping her eyes on Temari. Temari shrugged, "Heh. I guess she's waiting for me to make a move. Big mistake, because the first move I make will be the last one you see." Temari said, taking a step forward, she balled her hands into fists, Tenten took a step back. Temari took another step, her smile growing. "Come on, I don't want this match to be over to quickly." Temari chuckled, putting her hands on her hips. Tenten kept quiet. "So, why don't you go first? Come on, girly. Show me what you've got." Temari grinned, Tenten squinted her eyes at her. "Okay, if you insist." Tenten leaned forward, "Remember, you asked for it!" Tenten smiled as she jumped up into the air, her fists clenched as she stared down at Temari.

Tenten threw a hand full of shuriken down at Temari, jumping back as she landed on the ground. The shuriken fell down around Temari in silent clanks. Tenten's eyes widened, "I missed her? There's just no way!" She gasped out in shock. "What was that? A warm-up exercise? Or are you a little nervous and it's affected your aim. Is that it?" Temari tilted her head to the side, Tenten gritted her teeth. "Or maybe...you're still thinking about (Y/N)." Temari grinned, Tenten's eyes widened. "Don't think I didn't see your little hand grab, I wouldn't get too over excited about it if I were you." Temari's tone grew dark, "(Y/N) wouldn't even give you the time of day, there's no way they'd go for someone as petty as you. I'd give up while I was ahead." Temari shrugged, a smug grin sprawn across her face. "Why you!" Tenten gritted her teeth.

"What is going on? How could she have missed? It is incredible!" Lee said through squinted eyes as he tried to make out what was going on. I peered over Lee's shoulder, Guy shook his head. "It's impossible! Tenten's aim is perfect, she always hits her mark." Guy shook his head, Neji crossed his arms. "Not this time, she didn't." He added. "She never misses." Guy continued, "There must of been something that made her miss." Guy nodded his head, "Huh?" Lee's eyes widened as he turned over to Guy.

"Y'know, you can always count on Temari to put on a good show." Kankuro said with a small shrug, Gaara ignored him. Mikio took a step closer to the railing, he tapped his fingers against it. "Tch. They're such an idiot." Mikio mumbled under his breath, shaking his head as he looked back at me. "Out in broad daylight, walking around like they have a huge sign on their head saying 'Daigan'. It's like they're trying to get themselves killed." Mikio shook his head, Kankuro turned his head over to Mikio. "Hm? Sorry, couldn't help but of over heard your little 'spiel' over there." Kankuro said, squinting his eyes at Mikio. Gaara slowly turned his head over to him, Mikio crossed his arms. Kankuro took a step closer to him, "Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but if you say one more word, I'll snap your neck." Kankuro said in a sinister hushed tone, pointing his finger at Mikio. "Understand?" Kankuro said, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Man, this is embarrassing." Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh, "The sand village wins again." Shikamaru said with a small shrug. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, turning his head over to Shikamaru lightning fast. I nodded, "Yeah. The match just started." I added, crossing my arms. Shikamaru turned his head over to us. "It's over." He groaned as if he had a head ache. "Give me a break! What makes you so smart?" Naruto clenched his fists, Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "I'd skip it. If you can't see it, I'm not going to waste my breath." Shikamaru shook his head, closing his eyes as he looked away from us. "Just as Shikamaru says, this match is over." Choji agreed with a silent nod. "Man, I don't get it. I really don't understand these guys at all." Naruto said, shaking his head as he looked back to the match. I jumped up between them, poking Shikamaru on the side of his head. "Ow!" He jumped back, slapping his hand to the side of his head like a fly landed there. "What was that for?" He groaned, "For you not believing Tenten has a chance. You never know how a battle could end, even you and your big brain gets it wrong time to time." I huffed, Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He crossed his arms, turning his face away from me. Choji snorted out a short laugh seeing Shikamaru's face flash red, I shrugged, turning away from him.

 _Okay. Stay calm. Don't let her get to you._ Tenten slowly breathed in and out, relaxing her arms. _One, two, three...she must of dodged them some how._ Tenten's eyes traveled down to Temari's feet, the shuriken laying around her. _But, if I try a different approach..._ Tenten looked up. _Ha, look at her, measuring her distance._ Temari thought with a snicker, rolling her eyes. _Here comes her 'big move'._ Temari reached behind her, gripping her fingers around the bottom of her fan. Tenten smiled. _So that's her secret, that fan she carries._ Tenten nodded, _okay!_ Tenten hopped up, running to her side, away from Temari, circling her as she ran. Temari watched her, her brow raised. "Alright!" Tenten shouted, jumping back up into the air. "Try this on for size!" Tenten dug straight into her pocket, pulling out a red scroll.

She spun the scroll around, the tapestry flapped in the wind around her body. She pulled it close, continuing to circle her arm around her. Temari squinted her eyes at Tenten. Tenten was hidden inside the large scroll. She ran her hand over the ink characters, summoning weapons around her. She flung them down at Temari, Temari watched with a board expression. A small snap of her wrist, she pulled out her fan. A small gust of wind blew the weapons away, they crashed to the floor in heavy clanks. Shuriken, kunai, and swords of all kinds skidded on the ground. Tenten jumped back down to the floor, she was out of breath, her eyes locked on Temari. Temari put her hand on her hip, her other hand holding onto the front of her large fan. Tenten's scroll slowly flew down around her, Tenten clenched her fists.

"No way! She stopped everything I flew!" Tenten's eyes widened, Temari rolled her eyes. "What has she got in that fan of hers?!" Tenten growled angrily, "Ha, take a look." Temari called out with a small shrug, a large purple dot stared back at Tenten. "This is the first moon. There are two more. When you see all three moons, you'll know, you lost the match." Temari grinned down at her.

"Tenten!" Lee called out, leaning half of his body over the railing. "Do not play you opponents game! Maintain focus! Maintain focus!" Lee shouted, his voice cracking. Tenten sighed, gritting her teeth. _I know, Lee. Well, I was planning on saving this for the finals and not wasting it on the preliminary rounds, but it may be now or never._ Tenten gave herself a small nod before reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out two similar looking scrolls. She held them both in one hand, showing them to Temari.

"Huh?" Lee gasped out, "She's using that already?" Guy said, rubbing his chin. "What's with the two scrolls?" Naruto asked, looking back over at them. "Yeah, is Tenten going to be okay?" I wondered, taking a step closer to them.

Tenten knelt down on her knee, a scroll in each hand, she tapped both of them down on the ground around her. "Ha." Temari turned her head away from Tenten, "It won't work, whatever it is." Temari said, rolling her eyes as she watched her. Tenten ignored her, keeping her head down. She balanced the scrolls on the floor, taking her hands away from them, they stood up around her. She started making hand signs, keeping her eyes closed. Tenten shot her arms out to both sides. "Rising Twin Dragons!" Tenten shouted out, pointing her palms out towards the scrolls. A large cloud of smoke filled the arena, "Gah!" Temari chocked out, holding her arm in front of her face to block the smoke.

The scrolls were launched up into the air, spinning around each other, Tenten opened her eyes. She jumped up from the ground, cutting through the middle on the two scrolls, she extended her arms out to both of them, hovering her fingers over the paper. In small puffs, she pulled out weapons from the ink, kunai floating around her as she glared down at Temari. In synchronized movement with the scrolls, Tenten spun around in the air, aiming all her weapons down at Temari. _(Y/N), I hope you're watching!_ Tenten thought with a smile as she continued to fling down blades towards her. Temari rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter how many you throw down at me, it's all the same." Temari said with a exaggeratedly long sigh. She flicked her fan out again, "Moon number two!" She shouted out, sending a strong wind gust towards Tenten. All of her weapons crashed down to the floor, Tenten jumped back, safely landing on the ground. The scrolls fell down in front of her, folding over each other as they landed.

"I'm not done yet!" Tenten shouted, jumping up on her feet. She flung her body back up into the air. Tenten flicked her wrists, thin wires tightened around her fingers, she pulled her arms back, watching as all the weapons flew back up into the air around her. "Ha!" Tenten grunted, swinging them back down at Temari, _I've got her now!_ Tenten thought, smiling to her self. Temari picked her fan back up, watching the shower of blades edge closer to her. Temari grinned, throwing another large gust at Tenten, Tenten flew back, landing on the ground in a large thud. She skidded on the ground, gasping for air as she brushed by a few of her blades.

Tenten sat back up, her eyes wide. Temari held out her fan in it's complete form, staring down at Tenten. "Moon number three." Temari said with a small grin. Tenten climbed back up to her feet, staring Temari down. "Now, it's my turn." Temari called out, flinging her fan over her shoulder.  
"Ninja Art, Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari shouted out, sending a large vortex of wind hurtling towards Tenten. It picked her body up, keeping it locked inside of the wind, she was powerless. The wind cut into her flesh, large gashes riddled her arms and legs, the wind picked up her blood as it howeled.

"Temari's chakra is controlling the vortex." Neji said with a small nod, watching her intently. "Tenten fought well, but she'll never escape from that whirlwind. It's over." Neji crossed his arms, watching as the wind started to die down. Tenten quickly started to fall from the sky, shooting down like a star.

Tenten landed directly on the top of Temari's fan, "Gah!" Tenten gasped out, coughing up a spew of blood as she landed on her back. My eyes widened, "Whoa." Naruto gasped out next to me, "T-That girl's really ruthless." Naruto chocked out, I nodded.

"Wasn't much of a match, kind of boring." Temari said with a small shrug, looking down at Tenten. "If I ever see you touch (Y/N) again," Temari said in a harsh whisper, "You won't be walking away **alive.** " Temari lost her grin quickly.

"I can't believe she fended off all on Tenten's attacks." I crossed my arms, "Still, I wonder what they're talking about down there." I said, eyeing Temari suspiciously. "It was impressive alright. But scary." Naruto gulped, "Just like you said it would be." Choji sighed, "Well, of course. That's why I said it." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Well, looks like we're guaranteed a clean sweep in this round." Kankuro said with a small shrug. "Hm." Gaara made a small noise, what it meant, no one knew. Mikio glared down at Tenten, "Hmph. Pathetic." He turned his head away from her, looking back across the way.

"Hm. This sand team is clearly one to be feared." Lord Hokage said with a small nod.  
"Ahem." Hayate cleared his throat, "Looks like another win for the sand village, or should I say," Hayate crossed his arms, a small smile making it's way to his face. "Another _wind._ " He grinned, Temari squinted her eyes at him. "You're lame." She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "Whatever...the winner is Temari." Hayate called out, scribbling it down on his clip board.

"Wait!" Lee shouted, jumping down into the arena. Temari looked down at Tenten's body, flinging her off of her fan with a small grunt, Lee jumped down onto the floor, catching Tenten in his arms. He skidded back, laying her down on the ground. My eyes widened as I leaned over the railing. "Hey, nice catch." Temari rolled her eyes, Lee clenched his fist. "What is wrong with you?! She may have lost, but that is no way to treat an opponent who has done her best!" Lee shouted back at her, Temari threw her fan back over her shoulder. "Oh, beat it. And take that trash away with you." Temari spat out, Lee gritted his teeth, jumping back up on his feet, his fists raised.

"Lee!" I shouted out, jumping off of the railing and down into the arena. Lee froze, looking back at me. "Come on, let's just go back. We should focus on getting Tenten into a better position." I said, reaching out to him. Lee started to calm down, "You are right." Lee said with a nod, I reached my hand out to him, patting him on the shoulder, Temari gritted her teeth. "SO, you're running away now, huh?! You leaf village trash." Temari shouted out behind us, "What did you say?" Lee called out, turning his head back to her. "I said, you're nothing but leaf village trash!" Temari said, pointing a finger at him. "That is it!" Lee shouted, running towards her, "Leaf Hurricane!"

"Lee, no!" I shouted out behind him, Temari blocked his kick with the side of her fan. "Not even close. Y'know what, you're as dumb as you look." Temari squinted her eyes at him, "What did you say?!" Lee seethed, drawing his arm back to fly another punch towards her, "Lee! Stop!" Guy shouted out, jumping down behind Lee. "Guy-sensei!" Lee turned around to him.

"Temari. Forget them, the match is over. You won, so why are you wasting your time with that loser and his ridiculous mentor." Gaara called out from above, Lee looked up at him, "What?!" Lee said through gritted teeth, staring up at Gaara. Their eyes met in a burning fury.

"Just calm down, Lee." Guy said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Hm. A word of warning. You sand villagers have no idea what Lee is capable of, remember, he still hasn't fought yet. So I'd be careful, if I were you." Guy called out, putting his other hand on his hip. I threw Tenten's arm around my shoulder, starting to pick her up. "Yeah! Lee can kick all your butts!" I shouted behind Guy with a smile, Tenten snuggled closer to my chest. Mikio stepped over to the railing, glaring down at me, I stared back up at him.  
"Long time no see, brother." I squinted my eyes as I looked up at him, "Tch. How pathetic. Wriggling around with the rest of the leaf village worms." Mikio clenched his fists, "I'll make you eat your words!" I shouted back, pointing an accusing finger back up at him. "Mikio. Shut up." Gaara breathed out, turning his head around to him, Mikio froze, his eyes widening with fear.

"They're crazy picking a fight with them! Those sand village guys are trouble, they're the last people I'd want to go up against. Dang it, they're always doing stupid things like this!" Kiba exclaimed, rubbing his head. Hinata frowned, "Oh, (Y/N)..." Hinata whispered, looking down at her feet. Akamaru whimpered, going deeper into Kiba's jacket.

"I wouldn't worry Naruto, I know that we can take em." Sakura said proudly, walking up to the railing with her hands on her hips. "Wha-Sakura! You're alright? I never thought you'd be back so soon." Naruto said with wide eyes, "I'm fine, but never mind me, what ever's going down there with (Y/N) and that sand village guy doesn't look so pretty." Sakura said, shaking her head. "I think...that he's (Y/N)'s brother." Naruto said, scratching the top of his head. "What? Really? (Y/N) never told me they had a brother. Are you sure about that?" Sakura squinted her eyes at him, "Um...you're probably right. I must of misheard."

I crossed my arms, taking my stance back next to Naruto and Sakura. I was severely ticked off. "Hey, (Y/N)." Sakura called out to me, "What do you want?" I snapped at her, her eyes widened. "Sorry, what is it Sakura?" I sighed, trying my best to calm down. "I just wanted to thank you for earlier. Shouting out like that really helped my snap out of it, if you hadn't called out while you did, who knows what would've happened. If it hadn't of been for you, I still might not be here." Sakura said with a small smile, her hands behind her back. "Yeah. That's probably true." I shrugged, "Why you little!" Sakura whispered to herself, clenching her fists.

The screen flashed to life once again. "Okay! Here we go! Let it be me! Please, it's gotta be my turn!" Naruto shouted out, clenching his fists as he chanted. "Come on! Come on! Come on!" I chanted, punching my fists up into the air. "No, it's my turn! My turn!" Lee danced around, his fists clenched. _**Ding!**_

 **SHIKAMARU NARA VS. TSUCHI KIN**

"Awe man." Naruto groaned, "Gnnn!" I growled angrily, crossing my arms.

"Guess it's me." Shikamaru sighed, stepping out to the arena with his hands in his pockets. "Shikamaru, you better not loose!" Ino shouted out, I turned back towards the railing. "Come on, Shika! You can do it!" I blurted out, Shikamaru slumped his head down, "Yeah! Come on!" Ino continued to chant, Choji eyed her. _When did she get so pumped up?_ He thought, crossing his arms.

"Remember, he can manipulate shadows. Watch the shadows." Dosu whispered to Kin, she turned her back on him. "Heh. You think I'd ever fall for a stupid jutsu like that?" Kin grinned, her hands on her hips.

 _Aw man, what a drag. I mean, come on, give me a break. I've got to fight a girl?_ Shikamaru sighed, _what a lazy fool. This should be easy._ Kin thought with a smile. _I know what these guys are capable of from the time we met them in the forest._ Shikamaru squinted his eyes at her, _the way they treated (Y/N). They won't get away with it._

"Ready? Shikamaru vs Kin, begin." Hayate said with a small wave, taking a step back. "Well, it's all I've got." Shikamaru clasped his hands together, "You aren't trying that stupid shadow trick again, are you?" Kin called out, her hands on her hips. "Gnn! Shut up!" Shikamaru snapped back at her, "Ninja Art, Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Shikamaru called out, his shadow shooting towards Kin. She jumped out of the way easily, "Is that all you know? If that's the only trick you've got, this is going to be easier than I thought." She said, landing a little bit aways from him. She quickly dug into her side pocket, a small clank went shooting towards Shikamaru. He dodged two needles with bells attached to the ends, they stuck into the wall behind him.

"Bells? Heh, oh please, not that old trick." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Let me guess, next time you'll throw needles with and with out bells at the same time, I'll focus on the bells and then won't notice the silent needles coming at me. Am I right? Tch, good luck." Shikamaru crossed his arms. "You sure talk a lot, don't you?" Kin said, running towards him, she flung a hand full of needles towards him. Shikamaru dodged them with ease, "Now that I know to dodge all the senbon, what are you going to do now-!" Shikamaru's eyes widened, "What? Where?" He gasped out, hearing the bells clank together, he turned his head around quickly. A small slither shined in the bright over head lights, wire was tied around the edges of the needles, Kin smiled as she held the other end of the wires. "Aw man." Shikamaru sighed, looking back over at Kin. "Too late!" She shouted out, throwing another three needles towards him, Shikamaru skidded back.

"Shikamaru!" Ino gasped out, "Well, that didn't take long." Naruto said with a shrug, I waved my index finger at him. "Hold on, don't be so sure. He's not beaten yet." I shook my head, "Huh?" Naruto turned his head back over to me, Tenten groaned out in her sleep, I sat next to her on the floor.

"One inch higher, and that would've been a fatal hit." Shikamaru said with a heavy sigh, gritting his teeth as he pulled a needle out from his arm, a drop of blood trailed down his skin. He threw the needle to the ground, turning back to Kin. "Okay, now it's my turn." "Sorry, that was your turn!" Kin cut him off, pulling the wires back, the bells rung out once again. Kin grinned as she clanked them around behind Shikamaru.

Shikamaru stared to wobble, his knees buckling. "What the...what's happening?" Shikamaru said, gasping for air as he fell down onto his knees, Kin put a hand on her hip, smiling as he watched him go down. "You see, you don't ever ask for when the bell tolls, because it tolls for thee. This bell sends off a peculiar sound vibration that travels to the outer and inner ear, and then directly to the brain. First comes paralysis, and then you'll start hallucinating." Kin explained with a small chuckle, Shikamaru grimaced, clapping his hands over his ears. "Heh. It's useless, you can't block the sound out when it's already inside your head." Kin laughed, her chuckle bouncing around Shikamaru's head. He opened his eyes back up, Kin's image started to wobble, duplicates of her every where he looked. "I-I can't tell which is the real one..." Shikamaru said in a whisper, his eyes widening.

"You can't move your arms or your legs, and even if you could, you wouldn't know which one of us to throw your shadow at." Kin said with a smug smile, "Face it, you're cooked, little man." Kin raised her arm, needles pointing out in between her fingers. "I'm going to cook you nice and slow over a hot fire." Kin laughed, her chest rumbling. "You think it's that easy, huh?" Shikamaru called out, looking between the laughing faces of her duplicates. Kin threw a hand full of needles down at Shikamaru, Shikamaru gritted his teeth as they dug into his flesh, patched of red puddled around his jacket. "That was three, next time I'll throw five. Each time a couple more until you end up looking like a hedgehog, ha!" Kin grinned down at him, her hands on her hips. Shikamaru squinted his eyes at her, "Stop playing games, why don't ya?" Shikamaru grumbled, "Hm?" Kin tilted her head, her long black hair shifting. "If you're so tough, get it over with, stop wasting my time." Shikamaru answered back, Kin shrugged. "Oh, I'm sorry. So, you aren't a fan of my slow and painful method, huh? Fine, suit your self, we'll take the quick way then." Kin held more needled in her hand, glaring Shikamaru down. "But, I can't promise it will be any less painful." Kin said with a smile, "Heh." Shikamaru grinned, "Huh? What's wrong?!" Kin gasped out, her arm stopping in mid air. The needles that she was holding fell to the ground, "C-Can't move my arm!" Kin cried out, her limp arm going back down to her side.

"Kin!" Dosu called out from above, "Ha. Looks like my lame shadow jutsu was a success after all." Shikamaru said with a small shrug, standing back up, he wobbled around a bit before getting his footing, Kin copied. "W-What?! You haven't thrown any shadows!" Kin called out, looking down at her feet, "No way! I made sure of it!" Kin cried out, "Heh. You really still don't see it?" Shikamaru shook his head, Kin copied his movement. "Huh? What do you mean?!" Kin gasped out, "Look at that wire you're holding," Shikamaru answered back, Kin strained her eyes to glance down at the wire she had tied around her fingers, the shadow underneath stared to wobble, stretching out to take it's full form. "Don't you find it a little strange that it would even cast a shadow at that height? Of course you didn't notice it because you were concentrating on other things, like killing me." Shikamaru glared at Kin, _the shadow. It's spreading out around me, and I didn't see it coming!_ Kin thought, gritting her teeth as she watched it move. "Right, I stretched my shadow out along the line of that thread and followed it all the way back, now I'm attached to you." Shikamaru explained, raising his right hand up. "Gnnn!" Kin growled angrily, straining her shoulder as she desperately tried to get out of the shadows hold, it was fruitless. He left arm raised up just as Shikamaru's did. "Tch, whatever." Kin called out, "And now? So, we mirror each others movements, so what? A cute trick, but what do you gain by it?" Kin spat out, Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Man, you're annoying." He sighed, "Shut up and watch." He called out, reaching his right arm down. Kin raised her brow, feeling her left arm drop down, her middle finger tapped against the side of her shuriken holster. Shikamaru grinned as he unhooked the latch that kept it closed, Kin's eyes widened as she felt the blade of a shuriken brush against her fingertips. "You must be insane! If you throw that shuriken at me, you'll just be attacking yourself!" Kin cried out, her eyes as wide as saucers. Shikamaru coiled his arm back, holding the shuriken between his two fingers, Kin gritted her teeth, pulling her left arm back, she matched his stance. "Makes it kind of interesting, doesn't it?" Shikamaru said with a grin, "No! You wouldn't! You couldn't!" Kin cried out, tears pecking at her eyes. "Yeah? Like a game of chicken, let's see who dodges first!" Shikamaru called out, pulling his arm back, "No! Please! You're crazy!" Kin screamed as the shuriken left her finger tips, she closed her eyes tight, Shikamaru grinned widely, he bent his knees back as soon as he saw the shuriken beeming near. "Ha! I knew you were too much of a coward-!" Kin bit down on her tounge as she bent back, her head hit the wall behind her, Shikamaru watched Kin's unconcious body slide to the floor. WIth a small grunt, Shikamaru jumped back, shaking his head as he saw Kin topple down onto the floor. "The wise shinobi carefully scouts the physical layout of the battle feild, and never looses sight of his position on it. That was your problem, I made sure she was so busy focusing on the shuriken, she didn't notice the wall inches behind her head." Shikamaru explained, Hayate scribbled it down on his clip board as he took a step closer to Kins body. "Now, that's what I call..." Hayate paused, looking around the arena, "Using your head." He said with a smile, silence filled the air once again. "Dang it." Hayate said under his breath, "Winner of this match, Shikamaru Nara." Hayate said with a heavy sigh, pointing towards him. "That was awesome, Shikamaru!" I shouted out, cupping the sides of my face with my hands. "Yeah! Woohoo!" Choji called out after me, Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets, walking back up the stair case.

Lee shot a fist up into the air, his eyes burning with determination. "Come on, come on! Me next, me next, me next! Me!" Lee chanted his hopes out to the heavens, I watched him with a smile, Naruto crossed his arms. "Even that good for nothing lazy bones won his match, when am I gonna get my turn? Gnnnn!" Naruto whined out, I chuckled silently to my self. Tenten stirred in her sleep, grabbing out, she held tightly onto my arm. "H-Hey!" I gasped out, Tenten smiled to herself, hugging my arm close to her chest. I was stuck.

Dosu looked down at the floor. "Now, there's only me left." He thought with a small sigh, "Ahem!" Hayate cleared his throat, looking back up at the blank screen.

The screen instantly flicked to life, "Alright. There it goes. Moving onto the next match." He said with a small sigh of relief, looking back down at his clip board.  
"There's only one sound ninja village left," Kiba called out, raising his thumb. "Then there's me, (Y/N), you," He looked down at Hinata's worried face, "Naruto, Choji, Neji, Lee, and those weird sand village guys." Kiba stopped counting on his hand when he reached five, looking up at the ceiling. "Just don't put me up against that creepy red head, that's all I'm asking for." Kiba sighed, leaning against the back wall.  
"This years rookies are looking to be quite a challenge." Neji said, looking across the battlefield at the sand village, he crossed his arms. Hinata gulped.

 **Ding!** The screen beeped, it rung around the arena. I peeked my head up, uncomfortably wiggling out of Tenten's surprisingly strong grasp, "YEAH!" Naruto screeched out, punching his fist up. My eyes widened as I took a peek at the screen.

 **NARUTO UZUMAKI VS. KIBA INUZUKA**

"It's here, it's here, it's finally here! The moment I've been waiting for, finally I get a chance to show what I've got!" Naruto was jumping for joy, a large goofy grin hanging off his face. "Yeah! I know you can do it Naruto!" I laughed, looking up at him from the ground. "Of course! You better watch (Y/N), I'm going to pound that Kiba freak into the ground!" Naruto shouted out, my eyes widened. _He's going up against Kiba?_ I gulped, "Y-Yeah! You do your best!" A bead of sweat ran down the side of my face.

"Ha! It's us against the kid. Hey, Akamaru, I think we just won the lottery." Kiba said, grinning down at his furry companion. "Arf!" Akamaru barked out, wagging his tail excitedly.

"Aw...I am going to die of old age before I get my turn..." Lee mumbled, slumping his shoulders down at he turned away from the railing, Naruto continued to cheer from behind. _I just want a chance to show (Y/N) what I am made of. They're going to get tired of waiting._ Lee thought with a frown, "All I want is a chance, is that too much to ask?" Lee grumbled, Kakashi looked down at him.  
 _Lee, he's just like Guy used to be._ Kakashi thought with a small sigh, turning his head over to Guy. "Hm?" Guy looked over his shoulder, back at Kakashi. With a wide sparkling grin, Guy flipped his thumb up, giving Kakashi a wink. A bead of sweat ran down the side of Kakashi's face as he slowly turned away from him.  
"Hehehehe!" Naruto chuckled, "Good luck, Naruto!" I smiled up at him, "Do your best!" I nodded, "You know it, (Y/N)!" Naruto couldn't stop smiling, _it's your moment Naruto._ I thought with a nod. _Go on, show us. Show us how much you've grown, I believe in you._ I smiled up at him. _It's my time to shine!_ Naruto thought with a smile, looking down at his fist.


	43. Akamaru Unleashed! Who's the Top Dog Now

"Now, the seventh match. Naruto Uzumaki vs Kiba Inuzuka." Hayate called out, writing another thing down on his clipboard. "I've been waiting forever for this! Believe it!" Naruto clenched his fists, "Sorry Kiba, don't take it personally if I blow you away!" Naruto chuckled, "Gnnn!" Kiba growled angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto. "You friend stealer! You won't even be able to stand up when I'm through with you! Right, Akamaru?" Kiba shouted out, looking down at Akamaru in his jacket. "Gruf!" Akamaru barked out in agreeance, Naruto gritted his teeth. "Oh, yeah?! Well talk is easy! Let's see what you've got to say at the end of the match!" Naruto shouted back, pointing back at Kiba. "Tch, you little squirt." Kiba looked away from Naruto, putting Akamaru down on the ground, he patted the top of his head. "Wait a second!" Naruto called out, looking down at Akamaru. "Are you kidding me? What's the puppy doing here? He's just going to get in the way!" Naruto said, shaking his head as he looked down at him. Kiba shot his head up, "Deal with it! I never go into battle with out Akamaru!" Kiba growled back, "Arf!" Akamaru agreed, wagging his tail back and forth. Naruto looked over at Hayate, "Come on, isn't that against the rules, or something?" Naruto frowned, "Uh..." Hayate flipped through the pages on his clipboard. "Oh...right. No. Like Shino's bugs, they're a part of him. He is with in the rules...which, there are none." Hayate shrugged, putting his clip board back down. "Uh..." Naruto shook his head, "Whatever! Fine with me! I do my best work with a handicap." Naruto shrugged, "Ha! We'll just see about that." Kiba said, standing back up straight. "Akamaru, you stay right here and leave all this to me, I've got it." Kiba said, looking down at Akamaru by his side. Akamaru let out a small whine.

Sakura grabbed onto the railing, "Go on Naruto! You can't loose to this jerk!" Sakura shouted out, I gulped. "Um...you're both winners?" I said with a small awkward laugh, my fist raised in the air as I pulled Tenten along, Kakashi sighed.  
Kurenai turned her head over to Kakashi, _sorry Kakashi, but your boy doesn't stand a chance against Kiba. Not a chance._ Kurenai thought, shaking her head as she put her hands on her hips. _Kiba's on my team...I should root for him...but...he is...in between me and...(Y/N)._ Hinata touched the side of her face, she was turning red at just thinking about it. _Oh, (Y/N). Maybe if Kiba looses, we could be closer together._ A small smile made it's way to her face, Shino looked over at her, eyeing her suspiciously.

 _Hm. Naruto._ Lee looked down at him, taking a step closer to me.  
"Aw man, Kiba's so lucky." Choji whined, crossing his arms. "Hmph." Shikamaru turned away from him, looking back over at me. "Yeah...lucky." He sighed, Ino raised her brow, looking back over at him.

 _Heh. I wonder how much stronger he's gotten since he became a Genin. Cause, if he's anything like he used to be..._ Kiba grinned, tapping his chin as he thought back.

 _"Alright, (Y/N). Go on and give Naruto here a 'demonstration'." Iruka-sensei was fuming, he tapped his foot on the ground as he waited. I darted my eyes over to Naruto, "Okay...I guess." I shrugged, giving Naruto a small nod. Kiba's head hit the table, he jumped, instantly waking up. "Huh...who are those two clowns?" He grumbled, rubbing his eyes, he froze. I clasped my hands together, "Whoa." Kiba whispered, his heart skipped a beat. "Transform!" I shouted, in a puff of smoke, I reappeared as Lord Hokage, crossing my arms as I looked over at Iruka. The class was falling asleep. "Hmph. Alright, I guess. Naruto," Iruka looked down at him, I transformed back into my normal self. "Come on, you've got this. Don't let last nights training go to waste." I whispered to him, taking a step back. Naruto nodded back at me, a small smile growing on his lips. He clasped his hands together, standing with his knees slightly bent, I stood there, nodding my head up and down. Kiba couldn't take his eyes off of the front of the classroom. "Transform!" Naruto shouted out, a large puff of smoke erupted around him, I coughed, closing my eyes to block out the smoke. I quickly rubbed them to see a small Lord Hokage standing next to me, a large lower lip poking out, sweat beading down his forehead. "Gah-ahem." Iruka jumped slightly at first seeing it, he cleared his throat rather loudly, "Gnnnn!" He shook his head, facepalming into his right hand. I couldn't take it anymore, and neither could the classroom, everyone erupted in laughter. I held my stomach as I giggled, Naruto quickly turned back into his normal self, grinning over at me. "Just kidding! Just kidding!" He said in between laughs, waving Iruka off. "You didn't think that was for real, did ya?" Naruto said with a grin, Iruka furrowed his brow. "That's enough, Naruto. It's your third year at the academy, now straighten up!" Iruka shouted back, pointing an accusing finger down at him. Naruto jumped back.  
"How pathetic. Who the heck is that kid?" Kiba shrugged him off, "Standing next to someone like...them." Kiba looked over at me, I held my mouth shut. A small smile made it's way to his lips. "Hehe, glad we switched to this class. That guys hysterical." A kid whispered behind Kiba, Kiba turned his head around. "Yeah, he sure keeps things interesting, doesn't he?" His partner chuckled back with a nod, "Tch. Mr. Popularity." Kiba turned his head away, his arms crossed.  
"Try it again, and no fooling around!" Iruka shouted back, his hands on his his hips. "Eh! Transform!" Naruto shouted out, looking back down at his hands. He transformed again, but this time, in an ever goofier Hokage. Iruka let out a long sigh, "Incredible. Are you serious?" Iruka shook his head as he looked down at Naruto, "Pffft!" Kiba tried to hold his laughter in, the rest of the class erupted in a large chuckle fest.  
"Ha! Is this kid for real? You've been here three years and you can't do a decent transformation? What a joke!" Kiba shouted out from the back of the class, over everyone's laughter, Naruto clenched his fists, turning back into his normal self. "I don't have to pretend to be Hokage! You just wait, some day I'm gonna be Hokage for real! Then you'll be sorry!" Naruto shouted back, pointing at the rest of the class, "Ha! Yeah, right! On what planet?" Kiba shouted back, slapping his hand on the desk, Naruto turned his head away with a "Hmph." Iruka looked down at him. _  
_Soon the end of class reared around, lunch time was creeping up. The bell rang loudly as students rushed from the class, Iruka made Naruto stay behind so he could lecture him again, I decided to wait for him in front of the class room doors. I crossed my arms, leaning on the wall, I could hear Iruka's exasperated shouts through the door. "Hey." I heard a voice call out to me, I turned my head over to the side, squinting my eyes. Kiba stood next to me, his hands in his pockets. "You're one of those transfer students that came in today, aren't you? Well, what do you want?" I eyed him up and down, he grinned over at me. "Nothing much, I just wanted to know your name." Kiba said with a small shrug, leaning on the wall next to me. "Don't you think it's a bit rude to ask for someones name with out giving your own first?" I answered back, turning my head away from him, Kiba squinted his eyes at me. "You're pushy. Tch, my name's Kiba Inuzuka." Kiba said, pointing his thumb at himself. "And I was trying to ask you if you wanted to go out and eat lunch with me." Kiba's grin returned, "Hm." I smiled over at him, the classroom doors bursted open. Naruto jumped out of them, eger to get away from Iruka's lectures, "Hey! (Y/N)! Let's get going already. I'm starving." Naruto turned to me, ignoring Kiba, "Yeah, might as-" Kiba instantly cut me off, "Sorry, but (Y/N) is having lunch with me." Kiba called out, pushing Naruto to the side, he took a step closer to me. Naruto furrowed his brow, "Yeah right. (Y/N) wouldn't want to hang out with a loser like you. Right?" Naruto looked over to me, his arms crossed. "Um..." I cleared my throat, putting my hands in my pockets as I slowly edged away from them. "Whatever, (Y/N) is hanging out with me!" Kiba shouted at Naruto, grabbing a hold of my arm, he wrapped his fingers around it tightly, starting to pull me towards the front door. "Hey! Get off of (Y/N)!" Naruto shouted back, his voice echoing down the hall, he grabbed onto my other arm. Before I knew it, they were starting to have a tug-of-war with me.  
Their tugs started to throw me off balance, my feet skidding to one side, and then to the next, the whole time Kiba and Naruto were growling angrily at each other, shooting off angry stares as they continued to pull. My arms were starting to strain and my patience was going. Furrowing my brow, I bent my shoulders out. With a loud shout, I pulled my arms together, Kiba and Naruto weren't expecting anything. They flew at each other, I clasped my hand together with a small grin. Their heads bobbed together with a loud smack, they both fell to the floor, "Ah...ah...ah..." Naruto gasped out, droll running down his chin, Kiba was panting._

 _Iruka bursted out of the class room doors, "What is all the shouting about?" He called out, looking down the opposite side of the hall way before turning his head over to us. His eyes widened.  
I crossed my arms, standing over Naruto and Kiba's unconscious bodies, Iruka ran over. "What the heck happened?!" He shouted out to me, I shrugged. "Boys." I answered back, turning away from him as I left the academy. _

"Gnnn!" Kiba growled angrily, looking back over at Naruto, he raised his fist. "Look, you weakling! I'm starting to feel sorry for you, so, I'll finish you off in one shot, okay?" Kiba called back to Naruto, Naruto frowned, his hands on his hips. "Yeah? Is that right? Man, you're even dumber then you look if you think you can beat me." Naruto pointed a thumb back at himself, "You sure talk tough for such a little squirt!" Kiba shouted back, pointing at Naruto's chest. " _Ruff!"_ Akamaru nodded his head, staring at Naruto.

"Hmph." Naruto gritted his teeth, staring back at Kiba. Kiba looked back at him, anger bubbling up inside. "Ahem." Hayate cleared his throat, coughing into his hand. "When you're-" He paused, turning his back as he had another wild coughing fit, he wiped his face on his sleeve. _Man, why do we get the sick instructor?_ Naruto thought with a small sigh, Hayate turned back to them. "When you're ready, you can begin."

Kiba bent his knees, staring Naruto down as he clasped his hands together, making a hand sign, Naruto turned back to him. _Ninja Art of Beat Mimicry,_ Kiba thought with a grin, _All-Fours Jutsu!_ Chakra leaked into the air, the atmosphere grew heavy quickly. "Huh?" Naruto crossed his arms, looking over at Kiba. Kiba put his hands on the floor, his nails starting to grow out of skin, their sharp edges gleaming in the light, he bore his fangs. "Here I come!" Kiba shouted out, kicking off of the floor as he dashed towards Naruto. Naruto stayed still, furrowing his brow as he tried to see where Kiba was.

In an instant, Kiba had his elbow burrowing into Naruto's stomach. Naruto flew back, I gasped as I watched him skid on the floor. Sakura held onto the railing tightly, worry etching over her features.

Kiba stood back up, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at Naruto. "This little guy's going to be out for a while. You can call the match." Kiba said, looking back at Hayate. "Hm." Hayate looked back down at his clip board.  
"Thought as much." Shikamaru said with a small sigh, "Yeah, I thought Kiba might be too much for him, but that was fast!" Ino nodded her head, looking back at Shikamaru. "Oh, Naruto. That was embarrassing." Lee called out from my side, I shook my head. "You guys don't know anything about Naruto." I answered back, "Hm?" Shikamaru turned his face over to me. "You'll see. He's not going down that easily." I crossed my arms, continuing to nod my head. Sakura looked back, Kakashi caught her eye. "Hm?" Kakashi looked over to her, giving her a small smile, she then looked over to me. I continued to nod my head. Sakura looked back at the railing, _so, that's it._ Sakura thought back, a small smile on her face.

 _"And my dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm some body! Some body important!" Naruto answered back, playing with his head band.  
I always made fun of his boasts, I thought he was crazy. _Sakura thought with a sigh, looking down at the arena.

"Hm." Kiba shrugged, turning his back on Naruto, I leaned over the railing. "Ah..." Naruto gasped out, Kiba continued to walk away, his hand started to twitch. "Gnnnn...ah." Naruto grunted out, sitting up, he was gaping for air. Kiba looked back at him, gritting his teeth as he watched him climb back up to his feet. "What?!" Kiba growled,  
 _I was wrong about him._ Sakura said with a smile, watching him stand up.  
Naruto was still out of breath, his head was slightly down. Kiba was furious. _Come on Naruto, show them what you've got! I believe in you!_ I thought with a grin, shoving my fist into the air.

"Don't ever..." Naruto called out in a raspy voice, " **Don't ever underestimate me!** " Naruto shouted out, glaring Kiba down. "YEAH!" I shouted out from above, continuing to punch the air, I had too much energy. "Heh." Shikamaru looked down, a small smile growing on his face. _The kids come along way. Tch, he's still an idiot though._ Shikamaru thought with his arms crossed.  
"That a boy, Naruto!" Sakura shouted out, leaning her chest over the railing, Kiba shook them off.

"Yeah, yeah, talk, talk. Look at yourself in a mirror! You're a mess!" Kiba shouted back at Naruto, "Ha!" Naruto shot his head up, "I just wanted to see what you've got! Frankly, you hit like an old lady!" Naruto called out, mocking his stance. Kiba furrowed his brow, "You have a better chance of winning this if you send that puppy to fight for you!" Naruto chuckled, Kiba growled, rage bubbling in his veins. " **You're gonna regret that.** "

"Come on, Akamaru." Kiba called out, " _Arf!"_ Akamaru barked out, looking up to Kiba. Kiba drew his foot back, at the same time, the two of them came running towards Naruto, side by side. Naruto kept his ground. Kiba dug into his pockets, he held a hand full of purple smoke bombs, he stared Naruto down. "Smoke grenades?" Naruto wondered, watching Kiba closely.

"Take this!" Kiba shouted back, chucking the bombs towards Naruto. "Huh? AH!" Naruto shouted out, snapping his eyes shut, he put his arms over his face. Kiba jumped back, Akamaru followed him from the ground. Smoke started to fill the arena, I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the thick black gas.

Naruto opened his eyes, keeping quiet as he looked around at the smoke. He clenched his fists, trying to listen for any movement with in the smoke. "Huh? Gah!" Naruto gasped out, a harsh punch ricketed into his cheek, snapping his head to the side. Another hard hit to the stomach bent him over, blood sprayed from his mouth, dripping onto the floor as Kiba hit Naruto's back, making him topple down on the floor. Naruto scampered up from the floor, trying to keep his ground. Hits came out of no where, smacking him around, Naruto stumbled in the smoke. He wiped blood off his chin, a thick red coating on his once orange sleeve. _I can't see a thing!_ Naruto thought, gritting his teeth as he tried to see where the punches were coming from. _I've got to get out of this smoke, and fast!_

With that Naruto dashed through, swatting the cloud out of the way as he ran. He burst through the purple gas, gasping for fresh air. " _Gnnnnn! Ruff ruff!"_ Akamaru pounced on him, "Ah!" Naruto jumped at the loud bark, Kiba turned his head around. "He fell for it!" Kiba called out with a grin, Akamaru sunk his teeth into Naruto's hand, Naruto shouted as he fell back into the smoke.

Sakura gasped, I put my hand on her shoulder. _There's no way Naruto could loose this._ I kept telling my self, _no way._ "What the!" Ino called out from the side of me, "Darn. The best part and I can't see anything." Shikamaru sighed, leaning his head over the railing, I eyed him from the side.  
Kakashi turned his head over to me, his hands in his pockets. His eye hovered over my figure. _I don't like (Y/N) being that close to her...even if it is just Sakura._ Kakashi shook his head, _why should I care what (Y/N) does?_ He closed his eyes, giving a small sigh. _I need to clear my head._

Kiba jumped out of the smoke, the smoke slowly started to blow away. Naruto was left lying on the floor, Akamaru standing next to him, wagging his tail. " _Arf!_ " Akamaru called out to Kiba, Kiba clenched his fists. "Yeah! This fight is over!" Kiba answered back. _"Gruff!"_ Akamaru barked, running back to Kiba. Kiba opened his arms up, waiting for his furry friends hug. "Good doggy, way to g-" Kiba froze, his eyes widened as he saw Akamaru bare his teeth. " _Grrrrrr..."_ Akamaru growled at Kiba, jumping up to his arm, Akamaru sunk his teeth into it. Kiba looked down at him, frozen in shock.  
Everyone was silent.

"H-Hey...Akamaru..." Kiba called out, Akamaru held onto his arm with his teeth, continuing to growl at him. "What are you doing?!" Kiba cried out, bending his knee down to him, Akamaru didn't release his hold.

" _Surprise, got ya! Hehehe!"_ Naruto called out, in a puff of smoke, he turned back into himself, his teeth in Kiba's arm. Kiba furrowed his brow, "You used a transformation jutsu!" Kiba shouted out, trying to pull his arm out from Naruto's mouth. "You little-! Get off!" Kiba shouted out, standing back up as he pushed Naruto away.

Naruto's face started to turn green, he spat out onto the floor. "You smell worse than the dog!" Naruto shouted back at him, "Huh? What'd you do with him? Where is he?" Kiba called out, one question after another, snapping his head every which way.  
"He's right here." Naruto called out, holding Akamaru up by his paws, Kiba turned his head over to him. Akamaru let out a small whine. "What?! How did you?!" Kiba was fuming, he growled out. "Okay." Kiba angrily revealed his fangs, glaring at Naruto.

"Whoa. Is that really Naruto? Who'd of thought that Naruto would be a match for Kiba?" Ino wondere, peering down at him. "To balance a transformation jutsu and a clone jutsu at the same time, there's no way he should be able to do that." Shikamaru shook his head, I waved my finger at him. "I told you not to underestimate Naruto, he's got more to him then you think." I answered him back, Shikamaru looked back at me over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Ino called out, stepping out from Shikamaru's side. "Can you shut up about your boy friend already?" Ino sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "He's not! You! Gnnn!" I turned my head away from her, clenching my fists, I shook my head vigorously.

"Well, he's got his jutsu down, there's no doubt about it." Temari said with a small smile, "Well, well. The kid's better than I thought." Kankuro gave a small shrug. "Boy...friend." Gaara whispered under his breath, looking down at Naruto. "Huh? What'd you say Gaara?" Kankuro asked, looking over at him. "Quiet." Gaara called back, with a sigh, Kankuro looked back at the match.  
Mikio kept his arms crossed, keeping an eye on me, I tried my best to ignore him.

"Hmph." Neji looked down at Naruto, _he's certainly an 'interesting' one. It's not every day that you'd see a shinobi that would bite his opponent._ Neji thought to himself.

I turned away from them, "That was amazing Naruto!" Sakura called out from my side, "Yeah!" I agreed, bobbing my head up and down. "Come on Naruto! Show em what you've got!" I called out to him, Naruto grinned.

"Heh!" Naruto smiled, pink starting to show up on his face. "What'd you know. Got a little stronger I see." Kiba gritted his teeth, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto. "But not strong enough! Cause now, I'm getting serious!" Kiba shouted back at him, "Oh? Well, good! I was hoping you would because I want to seriously knock you out!" Naruto answered back, pointing a fist at him.

 _Hm. He's gone to a higher level just during the course of this match._ Kakashi thought, looking down at Naruto's grinning face.  
"That boy never ceases to amaze me." Lord Hokage said to him self, tapping the end of his pipe. _Can this really be that same little goof ball?_ Kurenai wondered, watching Naruto.  
"I don't know what happened, but this isn't the Naruto that we used to know." Shikamaru shook his head, I nodded. "Yeah, he's gotten way more cooler. Kinda."

Kiba slowly breathed in and out, closing his eyes, he started to calm him self down. "Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, watching Kiba. _He's about to find out that Kiba and Akamaru have tricks of their own._ Kurenai thought with a smile.

Kiba reached to his side pocket, pushing up the bottom of his jacket as he dug into his pocket. "Naruto, if I were you, I'd let Akamaru go." Kiba called out with a little tune in his voice, flicking a shiny food pellet towards Akamaru. Naruto turned his head over to the clone holding the dog. Akamaru caught the food pellet on his tongue, rolling it back into his mouth, he swallowed it whole.  
" _Gnnnnn..."_ A deep growl echoed from Akamaru, his fur started to change and become thicker, his fangs growing as did his body. His fur quickly changed into a deep red, Naruto watched, his mouth wide open. The clone's eyes widened as he watched the dog grown in front of him. A loud roar echoed from Akamaru, he kicked off of the clones chest, making it burst into a puff of smoke. Akamaru landed on the ground next to Kiba.

"What the heck happened?! What was that thing you fed him?!" Naruto shouted out, turning back to Kiba. "How come all his fur just turned red?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Are you sure you wanna stick around to find out?" Kiba answered him back, rolling another food pill between his fingers, he popped into his mouth, swallowing it in a loud gulp.  
 _Hm, food pills._ Kakashi watched carefully. _That's it. Kiba's going in for the kill._ Kurenai thought with a smile.

"Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba shouted out, bending his knees, he looked down at the ground, his hands clasped in a hands sign. Akamaru jumped on his back, a low growl mixed with his words, veins were popping out of his fore head. Naruto's mouth was wide open as he watched. Akamaru jumped up on Kiba's back, starting intently at Naruto, drool dripped down his chin. Kiba shot up, Akamaru holding onto his head with his two front paws, "Ninja art..." Kiba called out, his eyes widening. "Beast mimicry!" Akamaru went ecstatic, barking at everything he saw.  
In a large puff of smoke, Akamaru's paw grew out, fur starting to pull away. Akamaru growled, skin starting to come up. Naruto squinted his eyes, trying to see through the smoke what was going on, with a loud gasp, Akamaru had turned into **_Kiba!_**

A second Kiba was bent on top of him, chakra floating around them. " **Man beast clones!** " They shouted out together, bearing their claws and fangs, Naruto was shocked. "Grrrrr..." A growel ricketed from Kiba's throat.  
 _He's got a crazy look in his eye all of a sudden..._ Naruto shivered, "Hey...wait a minute." Naruto thought out loud, clenching his fists. "Hold on! He took something! No fair! That's cheating! He ought to be disqualified!" Naruto shouted out to Hayate, clenching his fists as he screamed. "Hm?" Hayate looked over at him from his clip board, "Let me check..." Hayate mumbled, flipping through a few paged before turning back to him. "Food pills are a ninja tool, they're allowed." Hayate said with a small cough, hiding it in his sleeve. "It also says here that there are no rules." Hayate nodded. Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him, "You're no help at all!" Naruto shouted to him.

"I don't get it. What was that stuff he ate?" Shikamaru asked, squinting his eyes as he looked down at Kiba. "Those are food pills." Choji began, we all turned our heads over to him. "Food pills?" I wondered out loud, Choji nodded. "It's something the military developed, an energy booster that's so powerful that troops who take it could fight for three days with out a break. But after extended battling, it can result in high levels of anxiety, and almost total exhaustion." Choji explained with a dire tone in his voice, his face not too much different. Ino looked at him bug eyed, Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets. A small "Whoa." escaped from my lips. I looked back to the field.  
"Right now, Kiba and Akamaru's chakra has almost doubled in strength."

"Let's finish this!" The Kiba on the floor called out, the one above jumping off of him to the left, he jumped towards the right, both of them zoomed in on Naruto. " **All fours...** " They said together, synchronized, Naruto's eyes widened as he watched them coming near. " **Jutsu!** " The two Kiba's cried out, Naruto jumped back just in the nick of time. Kiba and his clone bounced off the floor. A cloud of dust came up around them, the room was silent.

The first to move was the Kiba on the left, he jumped up from the ground, dashing towards Naruto, he tried to swipe his left hand at him, his claws whisked through the air, Naruto clumsily dodged him, spinning around. Kiba build up momentum, turning around with the same speed, a charged across a wall, bouncing off of it and down to Naruto. Naruto tripped over his feet, falling back with a loud gasp.

"N-Naruto?" I mumbled under my breath, Shikamaru looked over to me. "It's bad news for Naruto..." Asuma called out from behind, "Kiba already fights like a wild beast, his chakra is intense enough, even with out enhancements. The idea of these pills doubling the strength of his chakra..." Asuma paused, his team looked back at him. "Well, they're a perfect weapon for Kiba." Asuma said with a small nod. _Oh no...Naruto._ I thought with a sigh, turning to Asuma, I pointed a finger to him. "You'll see! Never underestimate Naruto, he said it himself! He'll show you all just what he's made of, I can promise you that!" I shouted out, with pride, I flashed them all a mighty thumbs up. Lee's eyes widened, he took a step next to me. "I do not know this Naruto very well, but if (Y/N) promises, then I shall promise with them!" Lee said with a skip in his step, nodding his head.

" **AHHH!** " Kiba shouted out, swiping his claws at Naruto once again, he quickly dodged. _There's got to be a balance!_ Naruto thought, dodging his other clone to the right. _I can't counter-attack!_ Naruto grunted, dodging another huge swipe. _All I can try to do it keep on my feet!_ Naruto gritted his teeth, Kiba put his hands on the ground, jumping up off of it, he kept the same momentum. Naruto jumped back, _I have to stay out of their way!_

The two of them came running towards him together, a spark of fear shown in Naruto's eye, the two of them came crashing down at him, Naruto hastily swung himself over them, floating down from the air. Kiba snapped his head around, "Now I've got ya!" Kiba shouted out, twisting around, a ran to where Naruto was going to land. "Man Beast, Ultimate Taijutsu," Kiba began, twisting him self around at an unbelievable speed, Akamaru followed. " **Wolf Fang over Fang!** "

Naruto screamed out, my eyes widened as I watched Naruto go down to the floor. Blood dripped down his face, smearing on the floor as he landed. Kiba rested, getting back up on his feet, he looked down to Naruto. Naruto could barely move. "I told you it was gonna get serious." Kiba said with a low chuckle, silence fell into the stadium. I put my hands over my mouth, shaking my head. _No, Naruto. Come on, I know you've got this._ I was in disbelief.  
Naruto's hand twitched, he gasped out for air, blood spewing from his mouth. "Come on Naruto! Come on, you can do this! I believe in you, Naruto!" I shouted out from the railing, Naruto's eyes widened. He thought back, his expression mellowing...

 _I yawned, looking down at the stream. It was early into the afternoon, the sun was beating down on the forest. I had just woken up. I was six. The water trickled down, I looked around at the trees, I was alone. I looked down at myself, dirt coated my beat up legs, scratches from the branches riddled my arms, my clothes were all cut up and shredded. I shrugged, digging my fingers under the hem of my shirt, I started to pull it up._

 _I quickly got undressed, throwing my dirty clothes to the side, I jumped into the stream. The cold water hit my feet, jolting me awake. The fresh water was refreshing, I sat inside of the stream, dirt rubbing off of my skin, the water was up to my chin. I floated around, butt naked. I breathed a sigh of relief, the water warmed up the longer I stayed in it. Small fish swam up the stream as I floated near them, I laughed as I kicked around, trying to catch them. They slipped in between my fingers. Loud rustling in the bushes by the stream caught my attention, I froze. Reaching down, I collected a hand full of stones, ready to chuck them into the bush._

 _"WOOHOO!" Naruto screamed out, in a flash of yellow, he jumped into the stream. Water splashed around as he came in, "Hey! What are you doing here, you twerp?" I shouted out to him, his head popped out of the water. "It's bath time, duh." Naruto answered back, "Yeah, but I was enjoying some alone time, thank you very much." I pouted, crossing my arms. "You're such a nerd." Naruto called back, I clenched my fists, the rocks fell back to the floor. "Oh, that's it!" I called out, standing up, the water only covered half of my body. "You're toast!" I shouted out, jumping on top of Naruto._

 _The two of us sunk into the water, wrestling each other, I caught a hold of Naruto's head. I wrapped my arm around his neck, standing up, I gasped for air as I dug my knuckles into the top of his head, giving him a noogie. "Ow! Ow! Stop it!" Naruto shouted out, wriggling around, his legs kicked the water. "Call it! Call it! Say you surrender!" I called back, "Ahhh!" Naruto cried out a high pitched squeal, flopping around like a fish out of water, but I didn't let him go. "Admit defeat!" I shouted out between giggles, "Fine! Fine!" Naruto pouted, I let him go. He splashed into the water, I jumped back down._

 _"Ha! You're such a weakling!" I laughed, my arms crossed. "Whatever! You won't be saying that when I become Hokage!" Naruto shouted back, standing up in the water, he pointed an accusing finger at me. "Yeah, but you've got a long way to go, Mr. SoGreatHokage." I mocked him, my hands on my hips. I stood up facing him, the summer air batted against our skin. "Hmph! You'll see, I'll be the best Hokage ever!" Naruto nodded his head, "Yeah? What you gonna do when you're Hokage then? What's the first order of business great Hokage sir?" I asked with a grin, mocking his behaviour. "I'm gonna make all the water fountains chocolate! And I'm gonna make an annual ramen day, where everyone gets to eat ramen all day every day!" Naruto shouted out his plans, I agreed, nodding my head as I listened to his plans. "And then you and me can live in a big castle! And then we can get married and then we can do adult stuff!" Naruto explained, waving his wet arms in the air. "Married? Adult stuff? What are you talking about?" I asked, tilting my head. "Like...taxes!" Naruto jumped up, nodding his head. "I don't want to do stupid taxes." I pouted, shaking my head. "Well then, I'll get some one to do them for us! Because I'm Hokage!" Naruto danced around, "Well, then, I'll be your awesome adviser, and we'll make everyone_ _ **believe it!**_ _" I said aloud, not realizing the destruction I would later cause. "Believe it?" Naruto asked, looking over at me. "Yeah!" I nodded with a smile, the sound echoed in Naruto's head. Believe it, believe it, believe it...He tapped his chin._

 _"Believe it! Yeah, they'll all believe it!" He punched his arm up into the air, drops of water leaking down his skin. "Now..." I started, "Get out and put on some clothes!" I shouted up at him.  
And from that day forward, he continued on to say "Believe it!"..._  
-

"I..." Naruto whispered, "I will...be Hokage...I will..." Naruto chanted out, he reached his hand out, desperately trying to get up. Kiba looked down at him, "And how are you gonna do that? By laying flat on your face? Heh." Kiba chuckled, "I've got news for ya, I'm gonna be Hokage." Kiba laughed, Naruto was starting to twitch. He looked down at the smear of blood in front of his face, he was shaking with anger. Kiba continued to laugh, Naruto clenched his fist. "Come on! Do you really believe a weakling like you could be Hokage? You must be weak in the head, ha!" Kiba continued to chuckle.

I shook my head. _No. You're wrong Kiba._ I thought, closing my eyes. _Weak, that's one things Naruto isn't. Unlike me, unlike the rest of the world, Naruto always believed in himself._ I sighed, _he's the only reason I found courage in who I was. The only reason I'm standing here today. Even through all the difficult times, even when he was face down in the dirt, he never gave up. And I was right by his side the entire time. Him and me are more alike then I'd want to admit. We were always alone, us two. No one cared to look out for us, no one respected us, no one even acknowledged him. We stuck out for each other.  
But now. Now, everyone is watching, watching him and me. Now, we can make a difference. We can do what we've always wanted from the start, to make every one see us._

Naruto's back came up, he kept his head down. His body shook as he slowly climbed up, his feet aching as he stood up. "That's right, on your feet, Naruto!" Sakura shouted out, I nodded, a small smile coming to my face. _Now, everyone will have to look at us._

Naruto stood up, Kiba gritted his teeth. Naruto balled his hands into fists, keeping his head down, a shadow crossed over his eyes. "Sorry, but, you can forget about being Hokage." Naruto began, his throat dry. "Tch." Kiba scrunched up his nose, Naruto shout his head up, looking at him in the eyes. "Because I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto pointed his thumb at his chest, shouting out to Kiba. Kiba growled angrily, their eyes met in a blazing fury.


	44. Surprise Attack! Naruto's Secret Weapon!

(First of all, if any of you people are reading this story on this site, I'm really sorry! This isn't my first fanfiction sight, I upload mainly on Quotev and on Wattpad since it's where most of my viewers are. I'll upload all the chapter's I've written but haven't uploaded on here, I'm really sorry!)

Kiba grinned, staring Naruto down, his clone by his side. Naruto kept his fists clenched. "You're kidding," Kiba called out, pointing at Naruto from across the room. "You're a real glutton for punishment, aren't ya?" Kiba called out with a smug look. "Heh." Naruto clenched his teeth through his smile, Kiba lost his grin. "It's your funeral." Kiba's arm lowered to his side, "I'm going to make sure that you don't get up again!" Kiba shouted, dashing towards Naruto, Akamaru followed close behind. Their footsteps were synchronized. "Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba shouted out, they ran side by side. Naruto kept his ground, watching them come closer. "How many times are you going to use that move?" He wondered out loud, "Just once more!" Kiba shouted, his claws flashed.

Kiba spun around on his heel, his body turned into a quick blur as he spun, Akamaru followed his lead. They pounced on Naruto. Naruto jumped up into the air just in the nick of time, Kiba and Akamaru bounced off the ground. Naruto fell back to the floor on his stomach. Kiba and Akamaru landed by both of his sides, skidding as they watched him closely. Naruto climbed up to his knee, looking at both of them, side to side. _Man, they're fast._ Naruto thought, his eyes widening as he watched Kiba pull out a couple more smoke bombs. He chucked them at Naruto, they exploded as they hit the ground. Naruto stood strong, keeping his arms over his face as the smoke came up around him.

"Fang over fang!" Kiba shouted, jumping back up into the air, Akamaru followed him into the smoke. Naruto jumped, narrowly avoiding one of their attacks. He landed on the floor, gasping for breath with his eyes closed. Akamaru and Kiba swung their claws around blindly. Naruto coughed quietly. _The same trick as before, and it's working just like before._ Naruto thought, his eyes closed as he listened. _It's like fighting in the dark,_ Naruto gritted his teeth, _I've got to find a way out or else..._

Akamaru and Kiba jumped back from the smoke cloud, the arena started to clear out. Naruto stood back up, his legs a bit weak, but he still kept his goofy grin. "Ha!" Kiba chocked out a small chuckle. "Looks like you've run out of gas, kid." Kiba smiled, Naruto raised his fists. "Yeah? Bring it on dog breath! Cause no matter how many clones of yourself you make, I'll still have enough gas to beat you!" Naruto shouted back at him, "Ha! You've always got a snappy come back. Let's see you come back from this." Kiba called out, looking back over to Akamaru. "Ready Akamaru?" He called out to his clone, he gave a small excited bark.

Naruto was gasping for breath, his chest starting to ache, but he still kept his grin. Kiba stared him down. They ran towards Naruto again, shoulder to shoulder as they aimed for him, smoke bombs rolled down Kiba's sleeve and into his hand. Naruto gritted his teeth as his eyes locked onto them. They exploded around him, brushed Naruto's spiky hair back, Kiba and Akamaru jumped back into the smoke.

Naruto looked around through the thick smoke. "I've got to find a way to counter attack." Naruto said to himself, keeping an ear out for his pursuers. _Problem is, I don't know which one to attack. Which one's the real Kiba?_ Naruto dodged a flying fist, _I can't tell them apart!_

"What's going on? I can't see!" Sakura wondered out loud, her voice sounded worried. I looked over to her, a small frown on my face. _Oh man, Naruto._ I thought, looking back over at the smoke.

Naruto's eyes widened. _Wait a second, that's it!_ Naruto grinned, clasping his hands together. They sealed into a sign, Naruto spaced his legs apart as he collected energy. "Transform!" Naruto called out in the middle of the smoke. Kiba and Akamaru jumped back as the smoke began to disperse, they landed on the ground in front of it. A silhouet started to outline from it. Kiba bounced back from the ground, heading back towards the outline he saw in the smoke. "Here we go!" He shouted out, aiming for Naruto. His eyes widened as he got closer. Kiba lost his momentum, skidding to a halt as he entered the smoke, staring down the two shadows in front of him.

"Very clever." Kakashi mumbled, Sakura turned her head up to him. "Huh?" She wondered, "Yeah, I always knew Naruto would come through." I nodded with a smile, Sakura turned back to me, "What?" She asked me, her face confused. "Wait a sec, you'll see." I waved to her, her eyes wandered back to the arena.

The smoke cleared out, drifting through the arenas front doors. Three Kiba's stood in front of each other, staring one another down.

Sakura clenched her fists, "Perfect Naruto! Good one! Brilliant!" She shouted out to him down below, leaning on the railing. I nodded, my hands on my hips. "He's made himself look like Kiba so that Kiba won't know which one to go after. He's got to be careful because he might be attacking Akamaru." I explained with a small grin, "And meanwhile," Lee began, "Naruto is safe attacking either one. Amazing idea!" Lee shouted out next to me. "There's only one thing..." I mumbled, Lee turned to me. "What is it?" He asked, "Naruto might be forgetting one important detail about Kiba."

"Okay, I've seen you've gotten better at the transformation jutsu." Kiba called out, regaining his smile. "But you've forgot one little thing." Kiba clenched a fist. "I admit, you look just like me, and that threw me for a minute. But I still know which one is you." Kiba drew his arm back, taking a step closer to the clone in front of him, giving power to his punch. "You can't hide from me!" Kiba shouted out, "Want to know why?!" He asked, punching his clone square in the jaw. His clone flew back, skidding on the tile floor. Kiba grinned as he looked down at him. Kiba rubbed the bottom of his nose, "I can smell ya kid." Kiba said, looking down at him. "There's just no getting past our sense of smell. Tough luck."

"By concentrating his chakra in his nose, Kiba can make his sense of smell a thousand times more sensitive than average. It's easy for him to distinguish people by their scent." I explained to Sakura and Lee, Sakura gave me an odd glance. "How did you know all about that?" She asked me, I turned to her. "I used to mess around with Kiba when I was younger. Also, he tends to brag a lot." I shrugged, flashing her a small smile.

"Heh, games over." Kiba called out, looking down at his laid out clone. It went up in a puff of smoke, "Huh?" Kiba gasped out, taking a step back. His eyes were wide. Akamaru was down on the floor, knocked out.

 _Kiba's nose got them mixed up...wait a second._ My eyes widened as I pressed closer to the railing, a wide smile on my lips as I looked down at Akamaru. _Good one Naruto._

 _No way,_ Kiba looked down at Akamaru. _It's impossible!_ Kiba gritted his teeth, anger bubbling up inside of him as he looked back at the clone behind him. "So it's you!" Kiba screamed out, snapping a punch as his clone, they flew back. Kiba kept his eyes on him, fuming with anger. "Messing with me!"

The other clone went up in steam, and out came Akamaru, skidding on the ground, knocked out. Kiba gasped out, "What?!" He cried out, frozen in shock.

Sakura gasped, "Well, this is coming from my pranking pupil, after all." I said with a nod.

Naruto stood up behind Kiba, running towards him. Kiba turned his head around, but he wasn't quick enough. Naruto jumped up, sending his heel flying into Kiba's chin. Kiba fell back on his arm.  
Kiba was shaking with anger, he wiped a drip of blood on his sleeve as he sat up on the ground. He looked down to his side, pain struck his face as he saw Akamaru laying there. He reached his hand out to pet his furry friend, but he stopped, clenching his hand into a fist. Kiba grunted furiously, turning his head back to Naruto. Naruto gave him a laugh as Kiba looked over to him.

 _I get it now._ Sakura thought with a nod, _Ha! Way to use your head Naruto. When Kiba saw through his disguise and sniffed him out, he had the presence of mind not to reappear as himself, but as Akamaru! And that made Kiba forget all about his sense of smell. He believed what he saw, and that's when he lost his advantage._  
"Who would've thought that the Naruto I used to know could ever be that smart..." Ino thought out loud, I turned to her. "Ha! I told you so!" I said with a grin.

"You little squirt!" Kiba seethed, looking up at Naruto. "A smart shinobi is careful how he uses his jutsu, otherwise it's liable to come back and bite him on the butt!" Naruto shouted out as he watched Kiba climb to his feet. "Dummy!" Naruto called him, Kiba gritted his teeth.

 _Hey...that's my line. Sortof._ Kakashi thought, looking down at Naruto.\

 _Arguing with this kid is a waste of energy. I can't play his game. I've got to keep calm._ Kiba thought, slowly breathing out. He raised his hand to his lips, sinking his teeth down into his flesh. Blood rolled down the side of his hand, dripping down on the floor. _Keep calm._ Kiba stared Naruto down, his hand still in his mouth. _Okay, I still have the advantage. I'm a lot faster than he is. He can't keep up with me._ Kiba thought, pulling his hand away. He reached down to his pockets, pulling out shuriken. They rested in between each of his fingers. _All I have to do is watch for an opening, slip in behind, and take him down with my All-fours jutsu. That's right. No worries. I just need to keep my head. There's no way I can loose this match._

 _Careful Naruto._ I thought quietly, gripping my hands tightly around the railing. _Your opponent has calmed himself down. Now, what is your next move?_ I wondered, watching him.

"Heh." Naruto grinned, "So, are you finally getting serious, Kiba? Good." Naruto called out, clasping his hands together. "That means it's time to reveal something special I've been saving. My super secret killer move!"

"Your what?" Kiba furrowed his brow, staring Naruto down. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Huh? Where'd he come up with that?" I wondered, tilting my head to the side. Lee clenched his fist, "You can always leave it to Naruto to have a trick up his sleeve. Well done!" Lee praised.

"Ha! Super secret killer move," Kiba mocked, "Get out of here, it's a bluff!" Kiba shouted back at him. "Yeah? Well try me and find out!" Naruto said with a grin. _Come on Kiba, don't let this punk get to you._ Kiba breathed out, _just stay calm. Stay in the game._ "You ready?" Naruto called out to him, giving an odd looking hand sign. Kiba darted towards him, _what ever he's got in mind, I'll just make sure that he doesn't get a chance to try it!  
"_Hya!" Kiba shouted out, flinging a fist full of shuriken at Naruto. "Gah!" Naruto gasped out, clumsily dodging them. He jumped up into the air to avoid the last one. Kiba continued to run, hunched over with a hand sign. "Beast mimicry, All-Fours jutsu!" Kiba called out.

Naruto landed back on the ground, crouched over his knee. He gasped as he watched Kiba run closer. Naruto's eyes widened. In a blur of grey, Kiba was in front of him. Kiba hit Naruto in the chest with his elbow, sending him flying back, Naruto skidded to a halt, climbing to his feet. Kiba met him, his arm pulled back. "Now, what are you waiting for?" Kiba called out, hitting Naruto in the side of the face, Naruto stumbled to his side, falling flat on his face.

"No, Naruto!" Sakura gasped out, "Come on Naruto, get up!" I shouted down to him. Naruto stayed down.

"Hm. I knew that this kid couldn't hack it." Kankuro said with a grin.

Kiba looked down at Naruto, chuckling. Naruto stayed down. I gritted my teeth, leaning my chest over the railing. "On your feet, Naruto!" I shouted out, Kiba looked up at me. "Ugh..." Naruto gasped out, climbing up to his knees, he raised his head up to me. "Man, he's coming at me so fast that I don't have a chance to build up my chakra." Naruto said with a smile, Kiba's eyes darted back to Naruto. He jumped up, dashing towards him once again. Naruto rose to his feet, keeping his ground.

"Hey, what's wrong? Just gonna stand there?" Kiba taunted him, he spun around Naruto before flying his claws back at him. Naruto shouted out as he fell back.

"Man, he's fast." Choji called out, "Too fast! Naruto can't even make a hand sign!" Ino gasped, nodding her head. _Too fast, too strong, Naruto's out of his league against this guy. But still, (Y/N) believes in him. They must be out of their mind._ Shikamaru thought, looking back over at me.

Kiba took a step closer to Naruto, Naruto was gasping for air as he sat up. Kiba jumped, dashing towards Naruto once again. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw Kiba flying down to him, "Take this!" Kiba shouted out, flying his claws down to Naruto.  
Kiba's claws stuck into Naruto's arm, blood flew up as they pierced his skin. Naruto grabbed ahold of Kiba's hand, a grin coming to his face. "Take this!" Naruto shouted back to him in a mocking manner, holding onto Kiba's hand as he flew him back. Kiba fell back, skidding on the ground as he landed. Naruto was gasping for air, blood running down his wounded arm.

Kiba grinned, chakura surrounding him. Naruto stared Kiba down. "I will be Hokage. I will never loose to you." Naruto called back to him, sealing his hands together. "Or anyone here!" "Dream on kid. How can you beat me when you can't keep up with me?" Kiba shouted back, kicking off the floor as he dashed towards Naruto. Naruto kept his hand sign.

Kiba jumped up into the air, aiming down at Naruto, Naruto looked up at him with a wide grin. Kiba shouted as he sliced his claws down at him, Naruto dodged Kiba's attack, loosing his hand sign, he held tightly onto his bleeding arm. Kiba turned back around, running towards him again. "Hey kid!" Kiba called for Naruto's attention, Naruto turned his head around. "Heads up!" Kiba shouted out, Naruto gasped. Kiba punched him in the chest, sending Naruto flying back down to the floor.

Kiba stood over him, looking down at Naruto on the floor, he was breathing heavily. "You wanted me to get serious, so I got serious." Kiba took a step closer to him. "You get it now? You were just kidding yourself. You've never had a chance. Huh?" Kiba's eyes widened as he watched Naruto start to climb back up. Naruto was shaking as he climbed up to his knees, his palms down on the floor. His breaths were short as he panted, slowly moving up onto his feet.  
Naruto was slumped down. "I absolutely..." His head shot up, "Will not... **loose!** "

Kiba gritted his teeth, Naruto turned back around to Kiba. "Guess that means you're out of luck."

"I'll give him one thing, the kid doesn't give up." Choji turned over to Ino, "Mhm." She nodded back. "Naruto's like a bad cold. Kiba just can't seem to shake him off." Shikamaru said, looking down at him.  
"Come on. I don't care who it is, I just wish someone would win this match already." Kankuro said, letting out a long sigh.  
"That a boy! Look at him, he's starting to crack, you've got him just where you want him!" Sakura cheered, I nodded. "There's no way Kiba can win now, Naruto's for sure the winner!" I agreed, my hands on my hips.

Blood dripped off of Naruto's chin, down onto the floor. Naruto was focused on Kiba. _This guys got to have a weak spot. I just have to find it._ Naruto furrowed his brow. "Hey! What are you waiting for? You tiered?" Naruto called back out to him. "You're a scrappy little squirt, I'll give you that." Kiba spat back at him. _He's on his last legs, this next one ought to do it._ "That's enough of this." Naruto called out, clasping his hands together. "It's time to reveal my new technique!" Naruto called out, "Go for it!" Kiba shouted back, heading towards Naruto.

Naruto shouted, spacing his legs apart, chakra surrounded the air around him as he powered up. Chakura coursed through his veins down into his finger tips. "Too late!" Kiba said over Naruto's shouting, continuing to run towards him. "I've got you now!" Kiba shouted, turning around, he faced Naruto's back. "Huh?" Naruto turned his head around, Kiba was crouched down behind him.

 **Blrrrrrrrump**

"Gah?" Naruto gasped out, Kiba froze, his face in front of Naruto's behind. He sniffed. " **GAHHHH!** " Kiba screamed at the stop of his lounges, falling back as he clasped his hands over his nose.

I couldn't stop laughing. Tears formed at the ends of my eyes as I pounded my fist on top of the railing. _Who had said Naruto had 'run out of gas'. The poor guys jutsu lead him right into it._ Kakashi thought with a small frown.  
 _And with his sense of smell a thousand times more sensitive than average..._ Kurenai thought, looking down at Kiba.

Kiba was shouting into his hands, his face started to turn green. With each breath he took, the smell came back. He could almost taste it. "Nasty!" Kiba called out through a few gags and horrified screams.

 _Was that is new secret super killer move? I wonder. He was always unpredictable._ Kakashi tapped his chin, watching me roll around on the floor.  
I could barely climb up to my feet, "Y-You-heh-that was golden Naruto!" I said through laughed, he rubbed the back of his neck, his face a bit pink as he turned back to me. "Well, you slowed him down at least." Sakura said with a small shrug, "Heh. I wish I could say I planned it." Naruto mumbled, turning back to Kiba. He clasped his hands together once again. "But anyway, the time has come to unleash my new technique!" Naruto called out, "Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted out.

His clones appeared by his side, chakra running strong within him. His clones surrounded Kiba, Kiba kept his hands around his nose, still shaking. "You've kicked me around pretty good so far, now it's payback time!" Naruto shouted back at him. "Hm?" Kiba opened his eyes, looking at the clones surrounding him.  
Naruto sent him a flying punch, Kiba gasped as he fell back, chocking on the toxic air he swallowed. Naruto's clones pounced on him. Naruto jumped up into the air, Kiba stumbled onto his feet. "Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto planted his foot right onto Kiba's face, smacking him down to the ground. The arena went silent.

Naruto stood over him, gasping for air.

"Hm?" I tilted my head, _a new technique? I'd say he picked that up from watching Sasuke. At least he changed the name. Sortof._ I shrugged.

Naruto's clones disappeared. Hayate walked into the arena, clip board in hand as he walked over to Kiba on the ground. He knelt down to him, turning Kiba onto his back. Hayate coughed into his sleeve. "Look like this dog..." Hayate began, "Has been put down." Hayate turned back to Naruto, everyone was silent. "Put down." He said once again, shaking his head as he stood back up. "The winner of the seventh match is Naruto Uzumaki."

" **WOO!** " I shouted out, punching my fists into the air, Lee smiled over to me. Shikamaru's eyes were wide open, "He beat Kiba." Shikamaru thought out loud. "A major upset." Choji said, "Mhm." Ino nodded along.

Naruto looked down at his hand. _I can feel it..._ He bawled his hand up into a fist. _I'm getting stronger._

Naruto climbed up the steps as the medics came to take Kiba away, I ran towards him, pushing past Hinata, her face flushed red. "Hey, Naruto!" I shouted out, high-fiving him as we met. "Nice one, I knew you could do it."  
Hinata looked over at me. _(Y/N), they're here._ She blushed, reaching down to her pocket, she pulled out the bottle. I turned back, Naruto by my side. _W-What d-do I do?_ She wondered, looking down at the bottle in her hands, Naruto and I passed her, starting to talk. "(Y-Y/N)!" Hinata called my name out, I stopped, turning around.  
Naruto peered over my shoulder, suspicion on his face. "Huh? What's up Hinata?" I wondered, taking a step closer to her. Her fingers tapped nervously against the bottle in her hands, "I-I thought...maybe..." Hinata gulped, I tilted my head to the side. She turned to me, walking a bit closer. She looked side to side before moving the bottle towards me, I looked down at it. "Huh?" I mumbled.  
 _Hinata?_ Kurenai smiled as she looked down at us. _Well, well._ Kurenai turned to us. "Uh, what's that bottle all about?" I wondered, looking down at it. "It's a calming herb." Kurenai explained, "For me? What for?" I asked, Hinata's face turned redder, "Take it (Y/N). Go ahead." Kurenai smiled down at me, I nodded. "Hey, thanks Hinata. That's really nice of you." I smiled, going to grab the bottle. My hand rubbed against her, she squeaked. "Yeah, actually, I could use this for Kale. If I could find him, that is." I mumbled, smiling at her.. Kurenai watched the medics carry Kiba out on a stretcher.

 _You have nothing to be ashamed of, Kiba._ Kurenai looked down at Naruto, _who could've imagined that he would be such a strong opponent._

Neji looked back at Hinata, squinting his eyes at her. _Silly Hinata, not a care in the world._

 _To be continued..._


	45. Byakugan Battle, Hinata Grows Bold

I opened up the bottle, sniffing the lid. "Hm, it doesn't smell too bad." I looked down at it, scooping a bit on my finger. "Hey, Naruto, come here for a bit." I called for him, "Huh? What's up?" He asked, taking a step closer to me. I smudged a big wod on the ointment on his nose, laughing. "Hey! Knock it off!" He shouted, waving his hands around, but almost suddenly he stopped. His eyes began to droop down, he sat down on the ground. "What's the matter Naruto?" I asked him, kneeling down. "Huh? Oh, nothin. Guess that battle with Kiba took a lot more out of me then I thought." His voice was getting softer. I picked the glob of ointment off of his nose as he fell down to the ground, I looked back at the bottle. It's more powerful then I thought. I stuffed it back into my pocket.

Hinata walked down the stairs, catching Kiba half way through the door. "Um...Kiba." She called out to him, the medics stopped, Kiba looked over at her. Hinata held a bottle up, it was green. "Here's some...healing ointment..." She called out, "It's for you and Akamaru." Hinata nodded. "Heh. Forget about us. It's time you start worrying about yourself, Hinata." Kiba answered back with a smile. Hinata tilted her head, "What do you mean?" She asked, Kiba shifted, turning his head so he could see her better. "Only eight left. Just you, (Y/N),Choji, Neji, Lee, and then there's that guy from the sound, and those two creeps from the sand villages." Kiba explained, starting to climb up on his elbows. "Listen to me, be smart." Kiba's face turned serious in an instant. Hinata shifted uneasily. "If they put you in with that guy from the sand village, you've got to forfeit the match. Same goes with Neji, be smart and walk away." Kiba looked up to her, worry struck her face. "Trust me, they'll be merciless. He'll destroy you."

The paramedics continued out the door, Hinata watched, looking down at the small bottle in her hands. She turned away, walking back up the stone stairs.

"Alright, we'll now pick the names for the next match." Hayate called out, everyone's attention was gathered, we all looked up at the screen. It flickered on, the names shuffling, it was quicker than the last few rounds.

 **HINATA HYUGA VS. NEJI HYUGA**

Hinata's eyes widened as she read the screen, her breath turning uneasy. Lord Hokage rubbed his chin. _This should be an interesting match indeed._

Neji stepped out into the field, Hinata cautiously went down the stairs, turning to face him as she stood in the arena. They faced each other, Hayate held his clipboard, writing a check mark next to Kiba's name.  
"I never thought that you and I would have to face each other, Hinata." Neji said slowly, looking her in the eye. Hinata looked down at her feet. "Nor I, brother."

"Brother? Those two are brother and sister?" I wondered out loud, Sakura turned to me. "It shouldn't be so surprising. They aren't the only siblings in the room, are they (Y/N)?" Sakura mumbled, her arms crossed. "What do you mean?" I asked her, she pointed across the way at Mikio. I gritted my teeth. Kakashi cleared his throat. "They're both descended from the Hyuga Clan." Kakashi broke the awkward silence between me and Sakura. "One of the oldest and most honorable families of the hidden leaf village. They're not actually brother and sister." Kakashi explained, I turned back around to him. "Oh, but they're related somehow, right?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Yes. In the way the branches of a great tree are related to it's trunk. Technically, they're more like cousins." Kakashi gave a small nod, "The trunk of a tree?" Sakura asked, tilting her head. Lee spun around on his heel, I looked over at him. "Yes, Hinata belongs to the family main house hold, directly descended from the head of the clan. While Nejis family is just a side branch of the clan." Lee explained, pointing a finger up to the ceiling. "Still, they're family and they have to fight each other." Sakura looked back down at the arena. "I feel for them, it must be hard." Sakura gave a small sigh. "It's a lot easier then you think." I mumbled under my breath, looking across at Mikio. "Yes, but..." Lee paused, Sakura turned to him. "But what?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "It may not be as hard as it seems. I have heard that for many generations now there has been some bad blood between the two families." Lee tapped his chin. "Hmm. Why is that?" Sakura asked. "I have never known the specifics, but you know about the great clans like the Uchiha and the (L/N), special techniques and abilities are unique to those families. The first generation of the Hyuga clan made all sorts of rules and decrees that favour the main branch of the family, it seems some branches of the family broke these rules." Lee looked up, "Huh?" Both me and Sakura tilted our heads. "It is said that because of that, there has been friction between the branches of the clan." Lee explained, looking back down at the arena. "So it's like this match is a family feud."

Hinata kept her eyes down, a frown on her face as she looked down at her hands. "Look, they're about to start." Kakashi called from behind, I turned my head down to see.

"Alright, you may begin when ready." Hayate called out, taking a step back. "Before we do this," Neji called out, Hinata kept her eyes on the ground. "A word of advise. Hinata, listen to me." Hinata looked up at him. "Withdraw now and never speak to (Y/N) again, and then I'll leave you in peace. You know you were never meant to be here." Neji squinted his eyes as he looked down on her, Hinata's eyes widened, she took a small quivering breath. "You aren't strong enough. You seek harmony and avoid conflict, you allow yourself to be easily swayed by others." Hinata looked down at the ground. "Admit it. You have no confidence. You feel inferior to everyone else here, it would've been simpler for you to just remain a Genin. But to register for the chunin exams, you need a team of three people. You never even wanted to take part in these exams, but Shino and Kiba did, and you couldn't bear to let your teammates down. Could you." "N-No! Y-You're wrong, you're wrong." Hinata shook her head, "I wanted...I had to find out. I did it because I wanted to see if I could change."

Kurenai looked down at her. _Hinata..._

 _Her soft breath padded the floor, she was on her knees, gasping for air. Her fingers were tightly clutched around a kunai. Her hair was soaked in sweat. "Stand up, Hanabi." Her father commanded, looking down at her quivering on the floor. Kurenai was in the doorway of the room. Her arms shook as she struggled to pick herself off of the floor, Hanabi's elbows went crashing down to the hard wooden planks. Kurenai looked over to Hiashi. "Very well then. I will take Hinata under my wing. But are you...sure that's what you want?" She asked, Hiashi kept his head turned, watching Hanabi struggle. He stayed quiet. "She is your first born and heir to your household. The life of a genin can be dangerous and brief." Kurenai explained, Hiashi furrowed his brow. "Do what you will." He said sternly, Kurenai's eyes widened. Hanabi stood up with shaking legs, "She is of less worth than her sister, five years her junior." Hiashi stared intensely down at Hanabi. "The Hyuga clan has no use for such an heir." Kurenai turned her head away. Hanabi stood up, gasping for air as she held the kunai closely to her chest. "If you have nothing more to say, we have work to do. Leave us now." Kurenai turned towards the door way, "Alright." She stepped out, Hinata stood there, waiting. Kurenai looked over at her, a frown on her lips._

 _Hinata has struggled to become what she wanted to be,_ Kurenai thought, looking down at her now in the arena. \

"Hinata, you are the pampered offspring of the Hyuga clans main branch." Neji spat out at her, she looked up at him. "W-What?" She quivered, "People can't change no matter how hard they try." Neji said in a harsh tone, Hinata's eyes widened. "They can't run away from their true nature. A failure will always be a failure."  
I clenched my fingers tightly around the railing, gritting my teeth as I looked down at Neji, anger was pumping through my veins. _Listen to this guy._ I thought, squinting my eyes as I looked down at him.

Neji looked into Hinata's eyes. "People are judged on their true nature, that is the way of the world. That is why we have the elite, and that is why we have outcasts." Hinata's shoulders shook as she listened, "We can change our physical appearance, improve our skills at training and study, but ultimately we are judged by what we cannot change." Hinata started to shake, tears peaking at the corners of her eyes. "What can't be changed must be endured, we are who we are Hinata, and we must live with it." Hinata's bottom lip quivered. "Just as I must live with the fact that you were born into the elite of our clan, while I am from a lesser branch." I growled lowly, listening to Neji, my knuckles turning white as I held onto the railing tightly. "You and I understand these things because I can see the world clearly with my Byakugan. Despite your brave words, what you're really thinking is that you'd like to run. Run as far away from here as you can." Hinata shook her head, a hand on her chest. "N-No! You're wrong...you're wrong about me!" Hinata gasped out.

"Byakugan?" Sakura wondered, turning to Kakashi. "It's the kekkei genkai or blood line trait of the Hyuga. A visual jutsu, like (Y/N)'s Daigan. In fact, they say that the Byakugan was derived from the Daigan some time long ago. But the shear power of insight, the Byakugan is the stronger of the two."

"Byakugan!" Neji's voice cut through Kakashi's voice, Sakura spun around, her eyes wide as she looked down at the match.  
Veins popped out around Neji's face, he furrowed his brow as he looked over to Hinata. Hinata shook, clenching her fists as she held them close to her chest. Her breath was uneven, her feet shifting under his gaze. She curled up a finger, placing it lightly on her bottom lip. She avoided his eyes, looking up at the ceiling, moving them down to the ground, she stood frozen. "My eye's cannot be deceived." Neji called out, Hinata gasped as she snapped her head towards him. "Just one moment ago, in the slightest of movements, your gave shifted towards the upper left corner of the room." Neji spoke in a loud, harsh tone. Hinata gulped. "I saw, at that moment, you were thinking of your past. Your bitter past. And then, almost immediately after, your gaze drifted to the lower right. It was a mere flicker of the eyes, but to me it revealed all of your mental and physical suffering." Hinata was frozen, her mouth ajar as she listened to Neji. "You see your old self, you're wondering if your life has prepared you for this moment. You're picturing the outcome of the battle. You see your self loosing."

My shoulders tensed, my hand tightly squeezed around the bottle, the other on the railing. I furrowed my brow as I looked down at Neji, my heart was racing and my blood was pumping. I wanted to go down there and punch him straight in the face.

"And the way you're holding your arms in the front of your body like that." Hinata's stance tensend, "It's telling my that you're trying to build a wall between us. To keep me at bay. You want to keep me from raiding the deepest recesses of your mind, and why?" Neji took a small pause. "Because everything I've said is true. Shall I go on?" Neji squinted his eyes, tears started to blind Hinata's vision.

I could feel the bottle start to cave in under my hand, the railing starting to dent.

"That familiar gesture of putting your finger to your lips, I know that's a desperate attempt to suppress your rising panic. Made all the more desperate because you know it's futile." Sweat beaded down her forehead. "It's all futile, Hinata. You are what you are. Whether you admit it or not, you already know."

"That does it!" I screamed out, leaning over the railing, my eyes furiously glancing down at Neji. Neji slowly turned his head back to me, Hinata gasped as she looked up. A pain struck into my neck, I gritted my teeth, ignoring it. "Who gives you the right to tell her what she can or cannot be?! Go on Hinata! Show this guy he's wrong!" I shouted out, raising a fist, Hinata's eyes widened as she stared at me.  
 _(Y/N)..._ Hinata thought, shocked. Sakura looked over at me, Lee standing close to my side. Kakashi let out a quiet chuckle. Another pain rocketed through my neck, I slapped a hand on my curse mark, grimicaning at the pain. "Hinata!" I shouted out to her, "You're just going to stand there and take that?! Do something! You're driving me crazy!"

Hinata looked down at her feet, a shadow moving across her eyes. She stayed silent. _You're right..._ Hinata thought. Neji turned his head away, _annoying._ He thought with a frown. "Hm." Neji looked back over at Hinata. She clenched her fists by her sides. _You're right, (Y/N)._ She looked back up at Neji. _Thank you._  
Neji straightened up, _the look in her eyes have changed. (Y/N)'s words have moved her._ He shook his head. "If you don't forfeit the match, you know what will happen." Hinata ignored him, closing her eyes. She drew her sleeves back, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. _I wont run away._ She quickly made her hands signs. _Never again. No more hiding. "_ Byakugan!" Hinata gasped out, her milky white eyes flaring to life.

Hinata took a step to the side, extending her other leg out, she took a strong stance. She held her elbow pointed out, her hand down, while the other had it's palm pointed towards Neji.  
"Defend yourself, my brother." Hinata called out, staring Neji down.

Lee's eyes widened, "Huh." He whispered, _that is..._

Neji copied her stance, squinting his eyes as he looked at her. "Very well then." He answered back.

"Of course..." Lee called out, I turned my head over to him. "It is the Hyuga style. That is why their poses are the same." Lee gave himself a small nod, Sakura peeked over my shoulder. "Hyuga style?" She wondered. "It is the most effective type of Taijutsu found in our village."

Hinata and Neji's eyes locked together, the pounced at each other. "Ah!" Hinata breathed out, her attack was blocked by Neji's palm. Her hands moved lightning fast, chakura filling the air around them, she moved swiftly. Neji blocked her attacks, taking the opportunity to counter them. Hinata moved her shoulder out of the way, watching his hands as they came speeding towards her, she bent back wards, twisted to the side, and dodged all of the incoming attacks. She sped her palm towards him, he blocked it with his forearm. They went back and fourth, blocking and attacking until Hinata found an opening. She distracted him with a high attack, bending her knees as she went to struck him below. _Now!_ She thought, her eyes widening as she went to strike the blow. Neji's eyes widened, he moved back, but not in time. Hinata's hand graze the front of his jacket as he jumped back. Neji gritted his teeth, quickly regaining his stance. Hinata twisted back.

"Did she get him?" Sakura gasped out, leaning on the railing. "No way! She hardly touched him!" I squinted my eyes, trying to see. "Even so, a glancing blow is enough." Lee explained, "That is what makes the Hyuga clan so powerful." Sakura turned around to him, "What does?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "What are you talking about?" She continued to question.  
Guy cut in. "Their Taijutsu is a unique one that has been passed down for generations. It's not the kind of Taijutsu Lee and I employ. We tend to concentrate on inflicting external damage. We use striking blows to raise contusions and break limbs, pounding our enemy. The Hyuga way is to attack their opponents internal organs through the chakra network, in which the chakra flows. Their way is more subtle. Perhaps not as thrilling to watch, but it gradually takes affect, with devastating results." Guy explained to us, Sakura's mouth opened wide as she watched Neji and Hinata take selective steps to the side.  
"You see, you can't build up your internal organs, no matter how hard you train. Even the toughest ninja is vulnerable to this kind of attack." Kakashi added, Guy looked over to him.

Hinata and Neji's eyes were locked on one another, their palms facing each other as they stepped around in a circle. Lee's gaze intensened.  
They took another pounce towards each other, their palms swishing through the air as they attacked. A rich sense of chakra filled the air, rising up into the stands, every one there could feel it. Hinata dodged another attack, her shoulder blocking her. _I can do this!_ She thought, encouraging herself as she took a closer step, pushing an attack Neji's way.

 _She's giving him all he can handle._ Shino thought, looking down at them. _Hinata..._ Kurenai's eyes widened as she watched her fight.  
"Hinata! Way to go!" I cheered her on, Sakura's face turned pale. "They attack the chakra network?" Sakura watched with awe, I turned my head over to her. "These people are amazing." Sakura said with a nod. "You could say that again." "What's the chakra network, anyway?" Naruto cut in between us, Sakura jumped back with a squeak. "W-When did you wake up?!" Sakura gasped out, Naruto tilted his head to the side with a yawn, his eyes dropped down. "Geeze, Naruto. Don't you know anything?" I sighed, crossing my arms. Naruto sat on the ground, looking up to me, he leaned his back on the railing, he looked tired. "Here we go again." I knelt down to him, sitting comfortably on the ground. "The chakra network is the complex system of circulatory canals that distribute chakra through out the body. Similar to a persons vascular system, the veins and arteries that carry blood." I explained, Naruto nodded, crossing his arms. "Oh, I get it. So these veins carry chakra, not blood." "Uh...basically." I shrugged, "Furthermore, the chakra network is so closely interwoven with all the most vital internal organs, that they are virtually one and the same. Therefore, when the organs are attacked, these suffer damage as well." I pointed my palms up to the ceiling, "Wow, (Y/N). How'd you ever get to be so smart?" He asked, "Idiot!" Sakura shouted out, "How did you ever get to be a genin?!" "Ow!" Naruto cried as Sakura rolled her knuckles into the top of his head.

Lee twitched slightly, his fists clenched as he watched, his eyes blazing. Guy looked over to him. _It's no wonder why Lee is getting so riled up. He's watching his oldest competitor and rival Neji._  
"But sensei, how do they know where to strike their opponent?" Sakura asked, looking up as Kakashi. Kakashi turned to her, "I mean, the chakra network is invisible to the eye, right? So how do they know where exactly to land their blows?" Sakura wondered, Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "You're forgetting their Byakugan. Their are few things invisible to those eyes." Kakashi explained, turning his attention back to the battle. "Once more, when they strike a blow, it's a little more different then a normal attack. A small, intense, burst of their chakra is released from their palm, it drills into the opponents body, directly attack his chakra network."

Hinata went for a strike, her hand went straight towards Neji. Everything fell silent as they stood there. "Yeah! Get him!" I shouted out. _Did she get him?_ Shino wondered, watching closely.

Silence filled the room, I gasped as I saw...

 _To be continued..._


	46. A Failure Stands Tall

Silence filled the arena, my grip tightened once again. Naruto was close to my side, squinting his eyes as he tried to see what was going on.  
Hinata gasped, her eyes wide as she felt a pain rocket through her heart. She coughed out, blood spraying onto Neji's hand, her knees buckled. "So, that's it, huh. That's all there is to the main branches power?" Neji asked, squinting his eyes as he looked back at Hinata.

"Wait! What is going on? I saw Hinata hit Neji perfect perfectly!" Naruto shouted out to my side, his eyes wide open. Blood dripped down the corners of Hinata's mouth, her breath was strained as she gritted her teeth. Her chest ached, she squinted her eyes. _I'm not done yet!_ Hinata thought with a burst of courage. Hinata moved her arm to the side, pushing Neji's out of the way. Her breathing was shallow as she took another step closer, she opened her palm, heading straight towards Neji's forehead. Neji's eyes widened slightly as he saw her hand coming closer, he moved swiftly grabbing onto her wrist, he shot his fingers into the side of her arm. Hinata winced.

 _What's with this kid?_ Kakashi thought, uneasily shuffling as he watched Hinata's arm bend up. _It can't be..._ Kurenai shook her head, taking a long breath in. Lord Hokage held his pipe in his right hand, _so, now I see why he's called the most gifted one to emerge from the Hyuga clan._

Hinata's vision started to shift from blurry to clear, he held onto her wrist tightly, grabbing onto the sleeve of her jacket, he pulled the fabric back. Hinata gasped out as she looked down at her arm. Red marks riddled her skin, "B-But!" Hinata looked down at her skin. "Y-You mean...all this time...you." Her breath staggered. "That's right. I could see your chakra points the whole time."

"Huh? What is he talking about?" Naruto wondered out loud, I sighed, closing my eyes. Kakashi took a step closer to us. "In the chakra network, there are three hundred and sixty energy sensors or chakra points, and each is only about the size of a head of a pin. Hitting one directly can affect chakra flow, either halting it or increasing it. Depending on how the attacker strikes the chakra points. Theoretically, doing so would allow a ninja to gain complete control over an opponents chakra flow. But these chakra points, they're undetectable, even to my Sharingan eye." Kakashi explained to us, we all looked up at him. Sakura gave a little gasp. "And even beyond his ability to see the chakra points, he can target them accurately, even during intense battle."

Neji's palm went straight to her chest, Hinata flew back, her arms in front of her as she skidded on the ground. Neji took a step closer to her, I clenched my jaw.  
"Look, Hinata. I'm completely out of your league and that won't change. This is what separates the elite from the failures." Neji called down to her, watch her slowly climb up to her knees. She was gasping for air, her chest shook violently, stinging pains rocketing through her. She turned her head around to Neji.  
"You may not like it, but it's a fact. From the instance, you said you wouldn't run anymore. Your fate was sealed, you were destined for failure." Hinata panted, her vision starting to tune blurry. "And now, you're consumed with hopelessness." Hinata turned her head away from Neji, he took a step closer. "Now, this is your last warning Hinata. Forfeit this match."

Hinata's palms spread across the floor, she looked down at the ground. "I..." She said through sharp breaths, "I-I-!" Hinata coughed, her blood dripped onto the floor, she clenched her fists. "Hm?" Neji furrowed his brow. A small puddle of blood formed around Hinata, her arms shook as she pushed on them, struggling to get up. "I-I...never..." Hinata stood up, her legs weak. "Go back on my word." Hinata stood up straight, she looked up at me in the stands. "That too is my ninja way."

My eyes widened slightly, I moved my head down. A small smile peeked at the corners of her lips, my grip loosened up against the railing.  
"I-I had no idea that Hinata was as tough as she is," I said in a whisper, Lee looked over to me. "She is a lot like you," Lee said with a small nod. "Mhm." Sakura nodded as well, "Y'know, come to think of it, she is always watching you." Sakura kept her eyes on the match. "Huh?" I tilted my head to the side, Sakura kept silent.  
 _Hinata..._ I thought, turning my head back down to her, she snapped out of her small trance, turning her head back to Neji. Her clear eyes shimmered, her Byakugan clicked on. Neji followed.

"Bring it on." He called back to her, furrowing his brow. Hinata coughed, a stinging pain hit her in the heart, she put her hands on her chest. She continued to cough up blood, I gritted my teeth as I watched. The stadium turned silent.

 _She has reached her limit._ Kurenai thought, a nervous look in her eye. _One more blow and she's done._  
Neji regained his stance, his palm outward, facing towards Hinata's shaking figure. She quickly retaliated, taking her stance back as well as she faced Neji.

 _Neji's hits to Hinata's chakra points have completely stopped her chakra flow._ Kakashi looked over my shoulder, watching the match as intensely as I was. _That means she can no longer send chakra into her opponent's body to fight in the gentle fist style. This match is as good as over._ Kakashi squinted his eye down at Neji, _I never imagined there would be someone this powerful here._ Kakashi's gaze shifted back over to me, my hand was tightly clamped onto the side of my neck, the other around the railing. _I'm afraid that even as strong as (Y/N), they're no match for Neji. If (Y/N) were to move forward to the finals, that could put their life in danger._ Kakashi slid his hands into his pockets. _There's no way I could let that happen._

 _It looks like Neji is going to win this match._ Guy thought silently as he looked down, his palms resting on the railing. _This girl just doesn't have what it takes to bring him down._

Gaara kept his arms crossed as he looked down at Neji, his eye started to twitch. Kankuro looked over at Gaara, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. _He's got that look in his eye again..._ Kankuro nervously gulped. _Whoever that Neji guy is, he's really done it now._ Kankuro looked back down at him, his attention was on Hinata.

"Wow...did you see his eyes?" Ino whispered off to my side, "Do you think he's really going to try to kill her? He wouldn't!" Ino crossed her arms, looking down at Hinata worried. "Doesn't it seem like the difference in strength makes it unfair? He's just way too strong! It's a mismatch!" Sakura shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. I ground my teeth together. The skin around my mark started to turn red as I applied more pressure. "Seriously!" Sakura scoffed out.  
My legs started to shake a little, my left knee falling to the ground. Sakura snapped her head over to me, I grimaced at the pain. Sakura took a step closer to me, I ignored her, using my other hand on the railing to pull me up, I leaned on the railing, half of my upper body over the rusty metal.

"Go! Hinata! You can do it!" I screamed out to her. Sakara stood close to my side, worry etched on her features. Naruto was close to me as well, shaking his head. Kakashi put his hand on my shoulder, "Don't get too worked up, (Y/N). It'll only activate the curse mark. You have to relax."  
I ignored Kakashi's advise, looking back down at Hinata.

Hinata was gasping for air, blood rolled down her chin, dripping onto the floor. _(Y/N)..._ She thought, starting to regain her breath. "Tch." Neji clicked his tongue, _strength has come back into her eyes,_ he thought as he straightened up his stance.

Hinata charged towards Neji, blood dried on her lips. She kept her palms open, facing him. _I've been watching you._ She thought, not taking her eyes off of Neji. She extended her palm towards Neji's face, he turned to dodge, sending his palm back down to her arm, she pulled away before he could hit her. Neji took a step closer, sending another attack her way, she dodged it quickly, turning on her heel she sent a kick towards him, he bent down to dodge. He shot his leg towards her chest, she slapped his ankle out of the way, moving down to his head with an open palm. He turned around with a kick, picking himself off the floor, Hinata took a small jump back.

Hinata's mind was somewhere else, her body moving with the rhythm of their fight. _I've been watching you closely for many years now._ She thought, taking another lunge towards Neji. Their palms met, he pushed her arm away, moving towards her side with his other hand. Hinata bent out of the way.

 _I wonder why. I don't know why...but..._

Hinata took a step closer to Neji, on the attack again. He dodged, uneasily landing on his left foot. Hinata bent down, sliding a kick towards his ankles, Neji jumped up just in time, dodging her attack.

 _When I watch you, (Y/N)..._

 _When I watch you, I feel happy. I feel like I can keep going. That even I am worth something._

Hinata lept at Neji, unevenly timing her attacks, he took the advantage. Hinata started to loose balance, he sent his palm down into the back of her arm, she started to fall forward with a shocked gasp. Neji opened his left hand, sending it flying towards Hinata's chin, her head snapped back as she started to fall.

"Hinata!" I shouted out in shock, she waved her arms, skidding back as she tried to keep her balance. Her knees bent slightly. Neji furrowed his brow as he looked over at her. Hinata started to cough, holding onto the front of her jacket as blood ran down her chin, her chest shaking with pain.

 _Hinata._ Kurenai looked down at her shaking form. _Hinata used to be a quitter, but I can see that she has changed. She put every once of her being into her training, I saw it with my own eyes. But even so, she continued to fail all her missions. She lost her nerve when faced with real competition and became easily discouraged. But that's not the Hinata I saw today. I have never seen, never seen such a look of fierceness in her eyes before._

Hinata took shallow breaths, turning her attention back onto Neji. Slowly, she regained her stance, straightening out her shaking legs. She ran towards Neji. _(Y/N)..._ Hinata opened her palms. _(Y/N), always I have done the watching. But, now, finally. You are the one watching me._

Hinata gritted her teeth, pushing her arm towards Neji. _And finally, finally I can show you!_ She turned her hips, _Show you what I can do!_

Neji took no time. He stepped closer to Hinata, dodging her attack, he thrust his palm into her chest. A burst of his chakra was all that it took, Hinata's vision seemed to blur. Blood dripped from the sides of her mouth as she fell down to the ground.

With out a look of remorse, Neji walked away from her.

Sakura gasped at my side, Naruto's eyes were wide open. Lee's mouth was ajar, I started to shake, sweat beading down the sides of my face.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Neji called out, his back facing Hinata. "Your strikes were ineffective from the start. You're finished." Neji started to walk back to the stair case, Hayate looked down at his clipboard.

 _Hinata, you've done enough._ Kurenai thought with a small nod. _You lost the match, but you've become a new person in the process._ Kurenai closed her eyes. _You did great._

"She..." I whispered, looking down at the slightly cracked bottle in my hand. _"I wanted to change my self into something better."_ I let out a small sigh.

"It's too bad, but after that blow to the heart. Hinata is done." Guy said off to my side, I gritted my teeth.

Hayate walked over to Hinata, one hand in his pocket, the other firmly grasped around his clip board. "Since she is no longer able to continue this match-" "No!"

I shouted out, "Huh?" Hayate turned his head over to me in the stands. "Don't stop this match!" "(Y/N)!" Sakura was staring daggers at me. "What on earth are you doing?!" A small smile graced my lips. "Hinata's had it! You can see that she's unconscious, can't you?" Sakura glared at me, "I don't know what you're talking about." I said back to her. "Huh?" Sakura snapped her head back, looking down. Hinata slowly started to climb up.

Neji stopped dead in his tracks. Whispers passed around the room. Hayate's eyes widened slightly.

Hinata was violently shaking, she slowly rose to her feet, pain stinging her chest. She held her hand over her heart. Her breath quivered as each gasp stung. Her knees buckled as she stood, looking down at the floor. Neji turned his head around to her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Neji squinted his eyes down at her. "If you continue to fight, I will kill you." Neji called out to her. Hinata kept her head down.

 _It doesn't matter._ Hinata thought through pained gasps. _I'm not going to let myself look bad, not now._ Hinata took another breath, raising her head. _Not in front of the person I admire most, who's finally seeing the real me._ A small smile came to Hinata's lips, I watched her closely.

Neji gritted his teeth, his Byakugan flared to life. Hinata took another step towards him, grasping onto her chest. "I am far-from finished." She stared at Neji, Neji scoffed. "Give up the 'tough guy' act. I can tell you're barely standing." Neji clenched his fists.

"You've been carrying a very heavy burden, having been born to the main branch of the Hyuga clan. And you've cursed and blamed yourself for being weak. But look, people can't change the way they are. That's just how it is. Just accept defeat and you won't have to suffer anymore." Neji's voice turned strong. Hinata closed her eyes as she shook her head, "No. You're wrong brother. You've got it backwards." Hinata answered back, Neji furrowed his brow. "You see, I can tell that you're the one. You're suffering much more than I am." Hinata told him, "I am what?" Neji seethed. "You are the one who is all torn up about the family."

Neji growled furiously, Hayate's eyes widened. Neji charged towards Hinata, "Neji! No! The match is over!" Lee shouted out next to me. _Oh man._ Hayate thought, turning towards Neji. Neji was about to attack Hinata. In a puff of smoke, he was stopped.

Kurenai held onto his left arm, as Kakashi kept his right. Guy's arm was tightly around Neji's neck as Hayate's fingers were an inch away from his forehead. Neji gritted his teeth.

"Neji, get ahold of yourself." Guy called out behind him. "You promised me that this whole head family thing wouldn't get you riled up!" Guy looked down at him, Neji's eye started to twitch. "Why are you and the other Jonin butting in?" Neji growled back, "The head family get's special treatment, huh?"

Hinata's heart throbbed. Hinata gasped out, coughing as she fell onto her knees. Kurenai gasped. "Hinata!" She called out, rushing towards her. She bent down to her shaking from, her arm on Hinata's back. "Hinata." Kurenai repeated, laying her down on the ground. I jumped down from the stands, pushing off the railing. Naruto, Sakura and Lee followed me close behind. "Hinata!" I shouted out, skidding on my knees as I bent down to her.

"Hinata, are you okay?" I asked her, Hinata's vision started to blur, blood stained her mouth. She looked up to me.

"(Y-Y/N)..." Hinata called out to me, her voice soft. I bent down closer to her. "Hm?" I asked, worry etched onto my face. "I just...I...do you...do you think...I changed...maybe, a little?" Hinata asked, passing out on the ground. Her eyes closed. "Hinata..." I whispered down to her.

"Hey, you." Neji called to me from behind, I turned my head over to him. I squinted my eyes as I looked at him. "I have two pieces of advice for you." I stood up, giving Neji an irritated look. "First of all, if you intend to call yourself a shinobi, stop that stupid cheering of yours. It's disgraceful." Neji took a step closer to me, I gritted my teeth. "And second, if you intend to stand in my way," Neji began, looking me in the eye. "I'll take you down."

"We'll just see about that!"I shouted back at him. Neji flashed my a grin, it made me angrier. I clenched my fists, turning on my heel, I made my way towards Neji. "I'm going to wipe that smug look off of your face!" I shouted, dashing towards him. Sakura gasped out, Naruto was about to chase after me, but Lee blocked my way before I could. Sakura let out a small sigh of relief.

Lee held onto my shoulders, Neji lost his grin. "What are you doing?!" I seethed, looking back at Lee. "Let me go!" I shouted out, Lee shook his head. "(Y/N), I get where you are coming from, believe me. But the rules say that all fighting must be done officially, in a match. The newbie beating the genius out of sheer will power, now would that not make an exciting match? Even if I am the one who is going to have to fight Neji, of course if you end up fighting him, that is fine too." Lee flashed me a small smile, I turned my head away from him, crossing my arms. "Hmph." My cheeks flushed pink, "Alright, you win Lee." I mumbled, starting to walk away from him.

Lee smiled, throwing a thumbs up towards Guy. _How was that, Guy-sensei?!_ Lee wondered, his eyes widening with enthusiasm. Guy nodded, _good one Lee._ Guy returned the gesture of the thumbs up, _nice goin!_

Hinata coughed loudly, cutting their moment short, my eyes widened as I looked down at her. Kurenai quickly unzipped Hinata's jacket, placing one hand on her chest the other on her neck. Kurenai gulped. _She's going into cardiac arrest!_ Kurenai turned her head back to Neji, _was he really trying to kill her?_

Neji caught onto Kurenai's look. "I don't think you should waste your time glaring at me when you really should be taking care of her." Neji answered back, turning his head away.

Kurenai gritted her teeth. "Get a medic, and hurry up!" Kurenai shouted out, "We're coming." A few medics came running on, folding out a cot for her. I watched as they bent down to her.

"She has no pulse!" One of the shouted out, I gasped, running towards her. "It's very serious, she's got ten minutes at best." Another one said, I looked down at Hinata. "Let's get her to the emergency room now!" They lifted Hinata onto the cot, carrying her out of the room, I watched, horrified.

They left. "Hinata..." I whispered, bending down on my knee, Neji watched my closely. A small puddle of her blood was all that was left behind. I took my right hand, putting each of my finger tips into the cold liquid. "Hinata...I promise..." I whispered, standing up I closed my bloody hand into a fist. I turned around, pointing it towards Neji.

"I vow that I will win!"

 _To be continued..._


	47. Gaara VS Rock Lee, The Power of Youth

"Wow, Choji. Glad I'm not you." Shikamaru called out from the side, his back facing me, his hands in his pockets. Choji looked down at the floor, hiding his chin in his scarf. "I mean, you've still got the toughest ones left," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "I wouldn't want to face any of them." Shikamaru turned to look at the other side of the stadium. "That creepy guy from the sound village and that Rock Lee guys got to be powerful if he took on Sasuke. And then those sand village guys, I don't like even looking at them. And (Y/N)..." "Ha! You've got some bad luck there Choji." I grinned, turning over to him. "Hey, don't you forget (Y/N), you've still haven't fought either," Sakura said, turning to me.  
"Gnnnnn..." Choji whined, holding onto the railings bars as he slid down to the floor. "I'm not feeling so good..." He cried out. "I ought to go ahead and forfeit right now." Choji sighed. Asuma turned to him, "What?" He called out, Choji turned his head up to him. "Y'know, if you win, I'll take you out for BBQ," Asuma said with a nod. "Aw, come on," Choji complained, looking back down at his feet.  
"Choji." Asuma began, kneeling down to him. "Come on, don't worry. If it gets bad, we'll step in and stop the fight, just like with Hinata. Okay?" Asuma asked with a smile, "Just think about it, all the short rib you could eat." Asuma continued on with a menu.  
 _That's a low blow._ Ino thought, her hands on her hips as she listened to Asuma's spiel. _Playing on his weak spot like that._ Ino shook her head. _I bet he would step in and stop the fight anyway._ Shikamaru crossed his arms.  
A determined look crossed Choji's face. "Now you're talkin! All you can eat?! Bring it on!" Choji shouted out, his fists in the air.  
"Now that's the spirit!" I laughed, our voices echoed across the room.

Gaara's breaths were shaky, a thick shadow crossing his face as he looked across the room. His eyes were wide as he watched us talk. Gaara started to twitch, listening to me laugh. Kankuro took a nervous gulp. _Uh oh, I've seen that look before._ Kankuro thought, uneasily shifting his feet. Temari crossed her arms, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face. _I can sense his bloodlust._ She closed her eyes, turning her head away from Gaara. Baki looked down at him, _the last fight, I wonder...did it stir up his inner demon?_

Kankuro looked across the way, trying to avoid Gaara's look. _I'm still curious about that Neji guy..._ He wondered, his arms crossed. His eye wandered over to me, _yeah, that might work._ He thought, putting his hands in his pockets. Kankuro turned on his heel, passing Gaara and Temari as he walked towards the staircase. Mikio stopped him. Mikio crossed his arms, looking Kankuro up and down. "Where are you going?" He asked, Kankuro stepped around him. "Just doing a little recon, I'll be back," Kankuro told him, waving at him with the back of his hand. Mikio's eyes followed him down the stairs.

I stood towards the end of the stadium, my hands around the railing as I looked down at the stadium. _I could be next._ I thought, looking around at the remaining competitors. _If I get paired with Lee,_ I thought with a small frown, _I doubt I'd be able to win, with this curse mark, it pretty much renders my Daigan useless._ I let out a small sigh, lightly tapping my fingers against the side of my neck. _If I get paired with the sound village guy, then it should be fairly easy. I can't remember what happened in the forest too clearly, but if Sasuke could take him down, I'm sure I could do it._ I looked around the room. _If I get paired with Mikio..._ I stopped, closing my eyes once again. _I'm going to have to take him down, no matter what._ My jaw tightened, _I can't let him go this time._

"Hey, you." A voice snapped me out of my thoughts, I turned my head around. "Hm?" My brow raised as I saw Kankuro walked up the steps next to me with a wave. "How come you're all by yourself?" He asked, walking over to me casually as if we've known each other for years. "Why aren't you hangin with your buddies?" He asked me like I was a child, I turned my head away from him. "I was thinking until you showed up, tch, what's it to you anyway?" I answered back, turning my head away from him.  
 _Well, well. Touchy._ Kankuro thought with a grin, moving closer towards me. He eyed me up and down. "So, tell me a little about this guy Neji. I'm feeling like we haven't seen the full extent of his powers in the last fight, did we?" Kankuro asked, taking another step closer to me. He leaned on the railing, facing his chest towards me. "So, what's his story?" He wondered, I gritted my teeth.  
"I'm gonna pulverize him, that's his story!" I shouted back at him, fuming with anger. "Okay..." Kankuro muttered to himself. "Well, that wasn't what I was asking." Kankuro edged in closer to me, I squinted my eyes at him, he was too close for comfort. "I don't care about what you're asking," I answered back to him, my arms crossed. Kankuro furrowed his brow, gritting his teeth as he tried to keep himself from yelling. _This kid..._ Kankuro thought, clearing his throat. "Hey, sweet cheeks, I came all the way over here to see you, don't you think you could repay the nice gesture by answering my questions?" Kankuro looked over to me, tapping his fingers against the railing.  
"Why don't you get lost, sandboy?" I growled back at him, Kankuro clenched his hands into fists. _Why you!_

Hayate's cough broke up our conversation, everyone's attention was back on him. "Now then," He began with his hands in his pockets. "We will continue with the competition."  
The room fell silent once again, except for the beeping of the overhead screen. "Alright!" Guy shouted out, pointing his thumb over to Lee. "This time you'll get picked, I just know it! Are you ready, Lee?" Guy called to him, "No!" Lee answered back, turning his head away from Guy. "Huh?" Guys tilted his head. "I have been waiting so long, I do not care! I would rather be last!" Lee said with a sigh, he looked back over at me and Kankuro. Sakura itched the top of her head, _what's wrong with Lee? Is he sulking?_ Sakura wondered, crossing her arms.

 **GAARA VS. ROCK LEE**

Gaara put two fingers in front of his face, in a burst of sand he was already down in the arena. _Well, come on. Let's do this._ Gaara thought with a frown, looking up a Lee.  
"Hya!" Lee shouted, kicking the air in front of him triumphantly. My eyes widened as I looked up at the screen, I turned my head around to him. Kankuro watched me closely, _at least I can tell that they're not an idiot._ Kankuro thought, crossing his arms. _They can tell that Gaara isn't someone to be messed with._

"It worked like a charm!" Lee laughed, "I knew if I said that I would want to be last, I would be next! I simply applied the principle which states that sometimes the surest way to hit something is to stop trying to hit it at all! It is a form of reverse psychology!" Lee shouted out with raised fists.  
"Hoowah!" Guy cheered, bending his knees as he smiled. "That's my student!" Guy grinned. Sakura tilted her head to the side. "I absolutely was not going to be last, no matter what! Ha! I sure did fool them, did I not?" Lee smiled as he continued to punch the air in front of him. _Fooled who?_ Sakura wondered, shaking her head.  
Guy pointed a finger up to the ceiling, looking down at Lee. "Now then, listen carefully," Guy called for Lee's attention, Lee turned his head around to him. "A piece of advice before you begin." Guy nodded, "Sir!" Lee answered back, saluting Guy before he leaned in. "Look," Guy began, looking back down at Gaara. "You see that gourd that Gaara is wearing?" Guy whispered, his face turning serious. "Watch out, there's something weird about it." "Good advice sir," Lee said with a gulp, quickly flipping open his notebook. "Don't write it down!" Guy shook his head, "What are you thinking? Afterall, you aren't going to have time to read any notes during the match, are you?" Guy put his hands on his hips. "Ah!" Lee began to scribble it down, "More good advice!"  
Kakashi gave a small sigh, _did he just figure that out about the gourd?_ Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. Sakura shook her head.

"Now," Guy pointed up to the ceiling, "Rock and roll!" "Yeah!" Lee shouted out, his eyes sparkling with determination. Lee jumped off of the railing, landing down in the arena with a small thud.

He faced Gaara. Lee turned his body to the side, showing Gaara the back of his hand, his fingertips raised upward. A small smile was on Lee's face. "I knew that sooner or later we were going to have to meet. I am glad it is sooner." Lee called out to Gaara, Gaara kept quiet, his arms crossed.

"I don't know what kind of moves that guy with the dumb haircut has got, but he will never take Gaara down," Kankuro said, shaking his head. "Not in this lifetime." Kankuro turned his head over to me. "Wrong." I simply told him, ignoring Kankuro's look. "What?" Kankuro asked, trying not to laugh. "Lee is stronger than you think. You have no idea." I answered back, shaking my head. "Gaara is very powerful, but Lee could definitely stand up to his strength. This will be an interesting fight." I nodded, Kankuro tapped his chin.

Lee easily caught onto the cork thrown at him, Gaara's stare intensified. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Lee asked, dropping the cork down onto the floor. Gaara kept quiet. Sand started to leak out of the gourds opening.

 _Be careful. Stay on your toes, Lee._ Guy thought, looking down at him.

Silence filled the space between them, Hayate took a few steps back before he raised his hand. "Alright then," Hayate began, clearing his throat. "If you are both ready, begin."

Lee didn't waste any time. He headed straight for Gaara, bouncing off of his back heel, he kept one arm behind his back as he jumped up. "Leaf Hurricane!" Lee shouted out as he flung a strong kick towards Gaara. Without even thinking about it, a wall of sand rose up to his defense, Lee jumped off of it, landing back down on the ground. "Huh?" Lee whispered as he looked up, watching a wave of sand head towards him, Lee quickly jumped back up into the air, the sand reached out to him again, he dodged pushing himself back, he skidded to a halt. The sand hit the floor, returning back to Gaara's gourd. Lee watched him closely.  
"W-What is that?" Ino breathed out, "That's sand!" Sakura said in shock. _That's an unusual jutsu._ Kakashi thought, watching the last few grains fly back to Gaara. Naruto nodded, _so that's what he's got in the gourd._  
Shino's eyes widened behind his glasses, _that...that nightmare. Not again._

Lee kept his stance, his eyes plastered on Gaara. _A sand manipulating jutsu, huh. It will not be easy getting through that. But nothing ventured, nothing gained!_ With that, Lee rushed towards Gaara again. Sand leaked out from the gourd once again, Gaara watched Lee come closer. Lee jumped, sending another kick his way, a burst of sand pushed his leg away. Lee landed back down on the ground, spinning around with his elbow heading to Gaara's face, it sunk into the sand.  
"Hya!" Lee shouted out as he tried a punch, nothing gave.  
He watched sand break from in front of him, "Huh?" He breathed, sand snuck up on him from behind, Lee took a kunai from his side, slashing away the incoming sand. Lee turned around on his heel, pushing his leg through, but his foot was confronted by sand again. Gaara kept still, his arms crossed as he listened to the sand brushing against the floor. A wall was heading to the back of Lee, Lee caught it just in time, tucking his head down to his chest as he rolled out of the way. The sand came after him, Lee landed on his hands, pushing off of the ground as he avoided the attacks. He took the moment in the air to send a shuriken down towards Gaara, the metal spikes sunk into the sand.

"Wow..." I breathed out, "What did I tell ya?" Kankuro said with a grin, I ignored him. "Even as fast as he is, Lee can't get anywhere close to him," Sakura said with a small gasp, "The sand...he's using it as a shield." I crossed my arms, Kankuro shook his head. "He's not doing it, the sand is protecting him of its own accord," Kankuro explained, I turned my head over to him, he was leaning on the railing next to me. "It's almost like a living thing, it'll come to Gaara's defense without him doing anything. That's why Gaara has never been injured, no one can get at him. No one's ever been able to touch him." Kankuro's tone turned, I looked over at him, he was staring down at the match.

 _Gah! How is he doing it? He is not moving a muscle!_ Lee thought, furrowing his brow as he looked over at Gaara. "Well, is that all..." Gaara called out to him, "Huh?" Lee's eyes widened. "I hope you haven't finished entertaining me...the boyfriend of (Y/N)..." Gaara's head moved down. "We haven't had enough... **blood.** "

Sand came rushing towards Lee, Lee jumped up to avoid it, but it was too late. Sand circled around his ankle. "AHHHHH!" Lee shouted as it pulled him through the air, spinning him around before it launched him into a wall. Lee's back hit it hard, he slid down it to the floor. Lee gritted his teeth, taking in the sudden pain, but the sand didn't rest. Lee's eyes widened as he saw another burst of sand come near him, he rolled out of the way before it could hit him. The sand struck the wall, the stands above shook, I tightly held onto the railing.

Lee got up from the ground, kicking off of the wall, he ran up to Gaara's side, flying a strong punch to Gaara's face, sand pushed him back. Lee gritted his teeth, flinging himself around Gaara.

Sakura leaned her chest on the railing, shaking her head. "I don't get it." She began, "He's only using taijutsu. Can't he see that's never going to work? Why doesn't he get some distance and use some ninjutsu?" Sakura wondered out loud, Guy crossed his arms, nodding his head. "Yes, that may be a good idea, that is, if he had any." Guy explained, Sakura turned her head over to him. "Huh?" She wondered, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Lee had no ninjutsu or genjutsu skills at all." Guy explained with a nod. "You're kidding!" Sakura gasped. "Oh hoh, that's nothing. You should've seen how hopeless he was when I first met him." Guy said with a small smile, closing his eyes. "No talent what so ever." Sakura's eyes widened, "Really? I can't believe it." Sakura's mouth was slightly open.

Another sand attack was thrown Lee's way, Lee jumped away from it, pushing off the ground. Sand slithered across the ground, as Lee stepped down, he slipped. "Ah!" He gasped, falling down on his side. Sand rose up over him, Lee's eyes widened as the sand came crashing down on him.

Sakura gasped out, "I-It's over." Shikamaru said in shock, Ino put her hands over her eyes. Guy chuckled. "Huh?" Sakura breathed out, her eyes widening as she saw Lee fly through the air, landing back on the huge statue's fingertips. Lee gritted his teeth, looking down at Gaara from the height.

"A ninja who could neither do ninjutsu or genjutsu is certainly a rarity. Lee has only his taijutsu to rely on. Some might consider that a disadvantage." Guy turned his head over to Sakura, "But that's what makes him a winner!" Guy gave Sakura a small nod, she raised her brow. Guy pushed a thumbs up into the air, "Alright! Lee!" Guy shouted out, Lee turned his attention over to Guy. "Take them off!"

"Uh..." Lee gave Guy a salute, "But Guy-sensei! You said that it was only as a last resort when the lives of very important people were at stake!" Lee answered back, Guy flashed him a wink. "That's right I did! But this is an exception!" Guy nodded. Lee's mouth opened, "Really?" A smile came to his lips, "Really?" He laughed like a child opening his Christmas presents. Lee stripped off his orange leg warmers with a smile.

"Huh? Are those-" Ino tilted her head, looking up at Lee. "How old-fashioned," Shikamaru said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Kakashi turned his head over to Guy, _leg weights? Basic training equipment._ Kakashi thought looking up at them. "Totally cool!" Naruto said with a laugh. "Yeah!" I agreed with a nod. Kankuro rolled his eyes, "Totally dumb."

Lee held one weight in both of his hands. "Ah!" He breathed a sigh of relief. "That is better! Now I will be able to move freely!" Lee said with a smile, dropping the weights. They cut through the air.

Temari looked up at him, shaking her head. _Come on. Do you really think you'll be able to get through Gaara's defenses just by dropping a few pounds?_

 **BAM!**

The weights crashed into the floor, shaking the entire room, Temari's mouth was wide open, she stumbled back. Sakura squeaked as she lost her balance, falling to her knees. Kakashi shook his head, _Guy, you are too much._ Kakashi let out a small sigh. "Alright!" Guy called out, waving to Lee. "Now go!"

"Yes sir!" Lee shouted back, clenching his fists, Gaara looked up at him, Lee jumped off of the statue. "Huh?" Gaara breathed out. In a green flash, Lee was behind him, a burst of sand met Lee's fist, Gaara's eyes widened slightly. The Lee was behind him again with a kick, Gaara turned his head around, but Lee was already gone. Lee was circling Gaara, Gaara could only hear Lee whisking around in the air.  
Lee bent his elbow back, shouting as he pushed his fist near Gaara, it missed him by a centimeter, zipping past the side of his face.

"So close!" I gasped, leaning over the railing to try to get a better look. _So fast._ Kakashi thought with a nod. _Amazing!_ Naruto's eyes widened. Kankuro's mouth was wide open, I turned to him. "I told you. You should never underestimate Lee."

"I could see that Lee had no aptitude towards ninjutsu or genjutsu," Guy continued on, watching Lee flash around Gaara with a grin, his arms crossed. "So we skipped them and focused all of his time and energy into developing his taijutsu. That way we turned his disadvantage into a blessing."  
Gaara couldn't keep his eye's on Lee, moving his head around, he searched for him. The only thing Gaara could see were flashed of green of Lee mixed with the yellow of his sand.  
"Now he doesn't need those other things to win because he's transformed himself into one of the worlds greatest," Guy paused, looking back down at Sakura. "Taijutsu specialist."

Lee jumped up into the air, flipping his body around, he sent his heel down towards Gaara. His heel dug into the back of Gaara's neck, pushing his head down. **A direct hit!**

Temari gasped out, Kankuro's hand started to twitch. Mikio walked closer to the railing, his eyes wide as he looked down into the match.  
A large gash ran across the side of Gaara's face.  
"I-I don't believe it!" Temari chocked out, "Gaara's been hurt!" She shook her head, leaning her chest over the railing.  
"Impossible..." Kankuro whispered over to my side, Naruto gasped. "Wow, that's scary. And I thought he was quick on his feet before!" Naruto was in disbelief. "He's been that fast this entire time?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, I put my hands on my cheeks. "Lee is so awesome!" I said with a smile, my face turning pink. Naruto huffed, "Not really..." He mumbled, looking down at the ground. Kankuro crossed his arms, tapping his foot against the ground.

"Yes! Lee!" Guy shouted out, shoving his fists into the air.  
" **Let the power of youth explode!** "

"Right!" Lee shouted back, his eyes burning with determination and power. He ran towards Gaara again, Gaara moved quickly this time, pushing his arm upward, he moved his sand in front of him, Lee pushed past it. He bounced off his foot, circling Gaara again. "Over here!" Lee called out, Gaara's every widened as he turned his head to follow the voice of Lee. "No, here!" Lee shouted out  
Gaara twisted his head over, Lee pushed his fist throwing, digging it into the side of Gaara's face, **he sent Gaara flying back!**

"Good!" Guy nodded. Lee looked down at Gaara, a small smile on his lips. _Direct hit._ Lee thought, giving himself a small nod.

"H-He's just too quick!" Sakura gasped out. "That sand can't keep up with him!" I grinned, Kankuro turned his head around to me. "Lee! You nailed him!" I cheered him on, waving my hands in the air.  
"That's incredible." Shikamaru's eyes widened. "I've never seen anyone that fast!" Ino gasped, "Make's me dizzy just trying to keep up with him!" Choji added with a nod.

Gaara slowly rose to his feet, his back bent as he wheezed, his breathing uneven. Sand poured out of his gourd, landing on the ground around him. Gaara kept his face down.  
"Uh oh," Kankuro called out next to me. "Uh oh is right! Your friend down there is getting the stuffing beaten out of him!" I said with a smile, turning my head around to him. "That wasn't what I was talking about, kid." Kankuro's tone changed.

"Huh?" Lee's eyes widened. Sand fell from Gaara's face, adding to the pile by his feet. "What?" Lee whispered, sweat beading down the side of his face. Gaara threw his head up, a wild looking grin on his lips. A thin cracked layer of sand stuck to his face, loose pieces of it falling off. Gaara's eyes were wide open, Lee shifted uneasily.

"What the heck!" Naruto gasped out to the side of me, I froze. "What is going on with this guy? His face is falling off!" Naruto shouted out, I shook my head. "It's like a shell made of sand..." I mumbled, tilting my head to the side. "Look at the guy! Not a mark on him!" Shikamaru called out. Sakura quivered, "That is so weird!"  
 _He encased himself in sand, huh?_ Kankuro gritted his teeth, _things must be bad. I haven't seen that look on his face in a long time._

Sand picked up around him, moving back towards his face, filling the cracks.  
Mikio's grip tightened around the railing, _I knew it._ He thought, looking down at Gaara. _I sensed him getting more and more unstable as the Chunin exams progressed._ Baki gulped, _as I thought. His inner demon has been awakened._  
The sand covered Gaara's horrible expression, leaving a hollow, emotionless stare in its place.

"I don't get it. Is he made of sand or what?" Naruto called out next to me, "All those blows and kicks Lee hit him with, did any of them get through?" Naruto wondered, "No...I don't think so." I said, crossing my arms. "It's like he's using the sand as armor." I breathed out, my eyes wide. "That's exactly what's happening." Kankuro nodded, Naruto looked over at him. "Normally, those clouds of sand are enough to shield him, but in the event that the shield is penetrated, Gaara can also wear the sand like armor. As a last line of defense." Kankuro explained with a grim look on his face. "This guy's too much! He's got armor now?" Naruto shouted out, clenching his fists. "Does he have any weak spots?" I wondered out loud, Kankuro looked down at his feet. _Ha. If you only knew kid. That armor is one big weak spot._ Kankuro thought, shaking his head. _Unlike the sand shield, the armor can be broken. And then there's the enormous amount of chakra that Gaara has to use to keep it in place. That takes its tole._

Temari gulped. _That's proof that Gaara is feeling the pressure. He would've never had to resort to the armor otherwise. This Lee is good, no doubt about it. But that's not the same as winning. It may not be as easy as we thought, but the outcome is a given. Gaara can't lose._

"Well, is that all?" Gaara breathed out, looking down at Lee. Lee stared at him back. _My speed will not be enough. He is impossible to get behind with those sand defenses! But maybe, if I can get him up off of the ground and away from the sand, then hit him hard from above with the lotus._ Lee thought with a sparkle in his eye. "Hm." Lee gave Gaara a small smile.

Lee stood up straight, starting to unravel the bandages on his arms, he let them fall down in front of him. He placed one arm over the other in front of his face, bending his knees. "Get ready," Lee called out.

In a flash, Lee circled Gaara, running around him at impossibly high speeds. Guy nodded. _That's right, Lee. Good work! That flimsy shield of sand won't protect him from your high-speed lotus._

Gaara kept his arms crossed, standing in the middle. "What are you waiting for?" He asked impatiently. "Okay! You asked for it!"  
Lee broke from the circle, sending a kick towards Gaara's chin, pushing him up into the air. Gaara's sand started to crack. "Try this!" Lee shouted out, jumping up, he continued kick after kick into Gaara's chest, moving him up into the air.  
"What an incredible series of kicks," Kakashi said, watching them go higher and higher up into the air. Guy gritted his teeth, clasping his hands together.  
 _Even an ordinary lotus puts an enormous strain on the body, let alone this. You've got to finish him off, now!_

"Gnn!" Lee grimaced in pain as he twisted his leg with another kick, he gritted his teeth, bearing the pain. Lee twisted his body around in the air, the bandages around his arms flying up around Gaara, encircling him in a tight grasp. Lee grabbed onto his sides, flipping him upside down in the air. "Take this!" Lee shouted out, spinning Gaara around in the air, the twisted the air around them as he flung Gaara down.  
" **Primary lotus!** "

They crashed down into the ground. A large cloud of dust and debris flew up into the air, chunks of concrete flung around the arena. Sakura covered her mouth with her hands. Ino covered her eyes, Choji's mouth was wide open, Shikamaru leaning over him. Naruto's electric blue eyes were blazing, my hands tightly grasped around the railing, Kankuro's chest lightly grazed my shoulder. Temari was speechless, Mikio's arms fell limp to his sides, Baki's mouth ajar. Dosu shifted uneasily as he heard the crash.

Lee landed softly next to the crater, gasping for air. The dust started to clear out, revealing Gaara laying in the rock, piece of dirt and concrete over his chest. He laid there unmoving, deadpanned as he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes wide open, his entire body cracked.

"It is over. I got him!" Lee called out, "Right on!" Guy cheered above him. "Amazing!" I breathed out, "No." Kankuro shook his head, "I don't believe it." Kankuro's chest quivered. "You did it! Way to go Lee!" Naruto shouted out.  
"He didn't-that guy isn't dead, is he?" Shikamaru wondered, aghast.

Hayate walked over to Gaara cautiously, clipboard in hand. He stopped. A piece of Gaara's skin cracked, falling inwards. Lee gasped. Gaara started to chip away, his skin turning yellow, into sand. The empty shell turning into a pile, the once steady pieces breaking up.

"What?!" Lee gasped out.

 _To be continued..._


	48. Lee's Hidden Strength, Forbidden Jutsu!

"An empty shell!" I shouted out, my mouth wide open. "But how?" Guy shook his head in disbelief, "When did he do it?" Guy shouted, crossing his arms. Kakashi turned his head over to him. "It was when you closed your eyes to pray," Kakashi explained, "Huh?" Guy turned his head, his eyes wide open. "At that moment, Lee closed his eyes too, because of pain. That's when he did it." Kakashi turned his attention back to the fight. Guy gritted his teeth, looking back down as well.

"Hm?" Baki's eye widened, _Gaara..._

Lee was out of breath, down on his knees, he couldn't feel his legs. Lee gasped as he heard sand, turning his head around. A low chuckle rumbled out of Gaara's chest, Lee's hand shook slightly. Sand floated around Gaara as he stared down at Lee, his head tilted slightly.

"No..." Temari breathed out, "It's..."  
"So it's happened, just as I thought," Kankuro whispered over my shoulder, "That look in his eye. That can only mean one thing...the demon inside of him has been awakened."

Gaara's hands clicked together, chakra coursing through his veins. The tips of his fingers inches away from his face, but his eyes were on Lee, not letting him out of his sight. Sand extended towards Lee like arms, moving up into the air, they fell down towards the ground, towards Lee. "Ah!" Lee shouted he put his arms in front of his face, blocking the first sand attack. But another blow was right behind, throwing Lee backward.  
Lee placed his palms on the ground, trying to balance on his knees, but his legs wouldn't give. He pushed himself up, a desperate attempt to stand, but he fell back to the ground. He looked down at his leg's, they were shaking violently. As he tried to move them, they popped, sending a wave of pain through them. Lee gritted his teeth, turning his body around, he looked back at Gaara.

Gaara stared back at him with a grin. Sand rose behind Gaara like a wall, breaking in front of him like a wave, it was heading towards Lee.  
"Run! Lee!" I shouted out, but there was nothing Lee could do, the sand picked him up like rapid waters, throwing him against a back wall. Lee coughed as he felt his back crack, the sand retaliated back towards Gaara, leaving Lee leaned against the back wall, crumpled over himself.

Lee rose his head, looking back up, Gaara didn't give him any time to try to get back up. He sent another arm of sand slashing Lee's way. Sand filled the air, covering the scene below. The wall shook, pieces of concrete flying around the arena.

"The kid is helpless...he doesn't have anything left." Kankuro said with a small sigh, "Gaara is just toying with him now."

Gaara licked his dry lips, staring at the could of sand, an outline of Lee's silhouette stood at the back of it.

"I don't get it!" Sakura choked out, shaking her head. "What's Lee doing just standing there?" Sakura turned her head over to Guy, "With his speed, he should be easily able to get out of the way from those blasts. Why doesn't he dodge them?" Sakura asked, Guy closed his eyes. "For a very simple reason. He can't." Guy explained in a quiet tone, "Huh? Why is that?" Sakura continued on, inconsiderately.  
"The lotus is what you might call a double-edged sword." Kakashi began, giving Guy some peace. "Wha-what does that mean?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side. Kakashi gave a long sigh. "You know that it's a forbidden technique, why do you think that is?" Kakashi turned to her, his arms crossed. "Well..." Sakura looked down at her feet. "The lotus isn't ninjutsu or genjutsu, it's taijutsu requiring extreme physical effort. The strain it puts on the body is unimaginable. No one can sustain it for long." Kakashi closed his eye. "Right now Lee is in so much pain, he can hardly move at all. Isn't that right, Guy?" Kakashi looked over at him. "But! B-But that means!" Sakura gasped, looking back down at the arena.

The sand drew back, Lee was left with his back against the wall, crushed into it. He was down on his knee, his palms out as he tried to deflect incoming attacks, he was out of breath. Gaara rose another arm of sand, Lee's eyes watched as it came closer, he threw himself out of the way before it could hit him. The sand rammed into the back wall. Lee rolled out of the way, dragging his stiff legs along with him, he pushed with his palms, avoiding Gaara's quick attacks.  
Lee landed back on his knees, facing Gaara, he was out of breath, his head down.  
"Heh." Gaara breathed out a low chuckle, Lee snapped his head back up, grimacing at the pain stinging his legs, it felt like they were on fire.  
Gaara squinted his eyes down at him, the cracks on his face crunching. Gaara moved his head up, Lee flinched, gritting his teeth as he moved his arms in front of his face. Gaara slowly rose his hands into another hand sign, looking down at Lee with a small smile.

"No ninjutsu or genjutsu..." Sakura said in disbelief, "All he's got is his taijutsu." Ino carried on, "And not much of that." "There's no way he can win this!" Choji shook his head, "Win? He'd be lucky to get out alive." Shikamaru said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

 _Lee..._ Guy looked down at him, out of breath, only able to open one eye. His arms shook as he tried to keep them up. Guy closed his eyes.

 _"Alright, you guys! Keep it moving! You want to run two hundred more laps?"  
"Heh! Dummy. Why bother? You'll never be a ninja!" A kid in front of Lee laughed, they continued to run in a crowd. The kids around him started to laugh as well. "Will to!" Lee shouted back, "There's no way a kid who can't even do ninjutsu can ever be a ninja!" A kid to his side continued to laugh, "Yes I can!" Lee shot back, trying to ignore them. "Whatever. I don't get why you're even at this ninja academy when you can't do some of the most basic stuff! You can't do ninjutsu, genjutsu, and you're even worse than average at taijutsu! It's idiotic!" The kid in front of him carried on, the boy to his side elbowed Lee in the shoulder. "Hey, you know what everyone in class is calling you? Don't you?" He chuckled, Lee slapped his hands over his ears, closing his eyes. "Dork Lee! Dork Lee!" The kids chanted, Lee shook his head, shouting as he ran away from the crowd, his hands over his ears.  
"Hey! Lee! Where are you going?! Get back in line!" The teacher shouted out after him, but Lee was already gone.  
"Heh. So that's the no talent overachiever I've heard so much about." Guy chuckled, watching Lee run away from the field. Kakashi leaned against the windowsill, his arms crossed. "Yeah. He kind of reminds me of someone." Kakashi looked over at Guy, "Hm?" Guy put his hands on his hips. Kakashi gave a small shrug, "Especially in...the eyebrow area." Guy chuckled to himself.  
Rock Lee. The dork with nothing going for him except a little lousy taijutsu. _

"AHHH!" Lee screamed out as he got slashed against the chest with another sand attack, Gaara stared down at him, a bored look returning to his eye.

 _But you kept at it, didn't you? You kept practicing your little 'lousy taijutsu'.  
"Three hundred ninety-four...three hundred ninety-five...three hundred ninety-six...three hundred ninety seven...three hundred ninety-eight...three hundred ninety-nine...  
Four hundred!" Lee gasped out, sweat beading down his forehead, he continued to kick at the log. "If I can not do five hundred kicks then it is two thousand squats!" Lee shouted to himself, his fists clenched as he continued to kick. "Four hundred and four...four hundred and five...four hundred and six..." Guy walked through the path, watching Lee quietly. "Four hundred and seven...four hundred and eight...four hundred and nine...four hundred and ten!"  
"Hm..." Guy said quietly, "Someone else is here..."  
"Four hundred and eleven...four hundred and twelve..."  
I'll come back later...Guy thought, leaning against a tree as he watched Lee continue to count his kicks. Guy turned away, walking back down the trail.  
"If I can not do a thousand squats, then it is a thousand punches!" He told himself, his arms behind his head as he continued to bend his knees. They burned as he continued to push on them.  
"Seven hundred ninety-five...seven ninety-six...seven ninety-seven...seven ninety-nine!"  
It turned night quickly, the stars were shimmering in the sky. Sweat was beading down Lee's head as he continued to punch the log in front of him, his knuckles were turning bloody.  
He's still at it! Guy's eyes widened as he watched Lee from a bush. "If I can not do two thousand punches, then I have to do two thousand jumps!" _

_You focused everything on your taijutsu. Training relentlessly until..._

 _"As of today, you are all genin. So now, tell me. Why you've done it. What are your goals? Hm?" Guy asked them, Lee, Tenten, and Neji all sat down in front of him.  
"Oh! Me, me! Sensei! Me first!" Tenten shouted out, shooting her arm up into the air. "Yes, Tenten?" He turned to her, his hands on his hips. "I want to be a great and powerful ninja! To walk in the footsteps of the legendary Kunoichi Tsunade!" Tenten called out, Lee looked over at her, Neji paid no attention. "I see." Guy nodded, "And you? Neji." Guy called out to him, Neji kept his head down. "I'd rather not say." He answered back, turning his head away. Lee turned over to Guy, shooting his hand up into the air. "How about me, sensei?" He asked.  
"I want to show that I can be as great a ninja as well! Even if I do not have ninjutsu or genjutsu! I want to prove it to the whole world!" Lee's eyes glittered with determination, Guy smiled down at Lee.  
There's that look in his eye. "Hmph." Neji scoffed, Lee shot up out of his seat, pointing down at Neji. "What?! What do you think is so funny?" Lee's voice cracked. "I mean it! I'll be a great ninja by just using taijutsu and nothing else!"_

Lee moved his aching legs forward, unsteadily balancing on them as he pushed himself, each set he took felt like he was walking on burning coles. Gaara sand sped after him, he continued to run from it.  
"It's painful to watch, why doesn't he just give up?" Temari crossed her arms.  
"He should quit while he can." Kankuro grabbed onto the railing, "It was just bad luck that he got Gaara as an opponent." Kankuro shook his head. "Come on, Lee," I whispered next to him, Kankuro looked down at me.

Neji's arms were crossed as he looked down at the fight, a frown on his face. _Lee..._ he thought silently, closing his eyes as he thought back.

 _Lee jumped down from the tree branch, landing unsteadily on the grass, he turned around on his heel, about to run the other way, Neji stopped him dead in his tracks. Neji jumped up at Lee, his palm extended, Lee quickly ducked his head. He kept his eyes on Neji's hands, clumsily dodging his attacks. Lee stumbled over an open tree root, starting to fall back, Neji sent his palm straight into Lee's chest.  
"Gah!" Lee shouted as he felt his back hit the tree. He tried to move sideways, but Neji didn't give him the chance. Neji sent a kick straight up to his head, Lee tried to dodge the kick, but it only made it land in his shoulder. Neji's palms went straight into Lee's stomach, one after another, pushing him back, Neji sent another attack towards his face.  
Lee could keep his balance, starting to fall back, Neji gave him one last kick to the chest, sending him flying back into the grass. Tenten shook her head, watching their little fight.  
Lee's shoulders shook as he leaned his hands on the grass, "N-Not...yet..." He gasped out, struggling to climb back up to his feet, "Not...yet!"  
"Lee!" Tenten shouted out, shaking her head with a long sigh. She put her hands on her hips. "This is stupid. Why do you keep on doing it to yourself? Come on." Lee climbed to his knees. "You're never going to win against Neji because he's...well, he's a genius!" Tenten exclaimed, Lee turned his head back to Neji. "A genius, huh? What does that mean, 'genius'. So, I was not born with a whole lot of natural talent, not gifted like Neji. But I work hard! And I never give up! That is my gift, that is my ninja way!" Lee shouted back, Neji shook his head. "It doesn't change a thing." Neji answered back, "Huh?" Lee looked up at him. "The sad fact is you'll never beat me. No matter how hard you work, no matter how many times you try." Neji crossed his arms.  
"That is not true and you know it!" Lee shouted back at him, "It is not true." Lee said, turning his head away from Neji. _

Guy opened his eyes back up. _True or not, you didn't listen to them. You never gave up._

Lee sat on the ground, his head down. Gaara flicked his arm to the side, a wall of sand crashed down on Lee. Lee moved his hands over his face in a futile effort to stop it, the sand threw him back once again. Lee slid against the ground, landing on his side. Lee struggled to get back up on his feet.  
Gaara's breathing changed, his breath uneven, shaky. His wheezed as sand gathered back to his body, filling in the cracks that lined against his face. But the thing that didn't change was his smile. His unnerving smile.

Lee's legs burned as he stood back up, only looking at Gaara with one eye, his arms in front of his face, his last defense. Sand circled around Gaara's feet, he chuckled as he watched Lee take his weak stance.  
"What good will that do?" Gaara called out, his grin widening.

"I pity the kid." Kankuro said next to me, "Gaara will just toil with him until he begs for mercy." Kankuro scoffed. "Well then, your friend Gaara's in for a long match." Guy's voice was strong, it echoed around the stands, Kankuro shot him an odd glance. "Lee doesn't know how to give up."

Sand rose in front of Gaara, it moved like a hand, claws bearing down at Lee. It pushed him down, flinging Lee across the arena, he landed on his chest. The sand moved back, whisking through the air like a whip, slashing down on Lee's back. Lee cried out in pain, his shout echoing around the room. It was horrible.

Guy furrowed his brow. _Lee will struggle on long after the point where anyone else would've quit._

 _"If I can not do a thousand jumps without mistake," Lee said through heavy pants, "Then it is one thousand kicks!" Lee continued to jump. "Nine hundred ninety-five...nine hundred ninety-six...nine hundred ninety-seven-ah!" Lee shouted, Guy gasped as he watched Lee trip over himself, falling face first. As he fell his head hit the training log with a loud thud, Lee shook like a fallen leaf on the ground.  
Lee sniffled. Tears ran down his face as he put his hands out on the ground, he struggled to get back up, falling down to the ground again. The tears dripped down his face, onto the ground. "Lee!" Guy called out behind him, Lee's eyes opened wide. "Ha, taking a break already?" Guy called out, Lee stayed silent, climbing to his feet on shaky legs. He sniffled, wiping his tears away onto his arm. "What is it, Guy-sensei?" Lee called out with a sigh, he pivoted his heel. He rose his other leg, starting with a new kick._  
 _"If it is about my messing up on the last assignment," Lee paused, continuing to kick the log. "I said I was sorry."  
"Lee. It is true that you are different from Neji and the others, you have no gift for ninjutsu or genjutsu, and you taijutsu needs work." Guy smiled, "But then again, you have a gift that Neji doesn't have. Not as flashy, but perhaps even more important." Lee continued on, kicking the log harder. "You do not have to make me feel better," Lee called back, Guy shook his head. "You idiot. You think I'd waste my time with that?" Lee stopped, leaning his head against the log. "No, all I'm saying is that you have the gift of perseverance. And that's what makes you a genius too." Lee bent his head down, holding on tightly to the sides of the log.  
"But...is that true, sensei? I wonder." Lee answered back, Guy's brow raised. "I used to think so. I used to believe that if I just trained harder then Neji, two or three times harder, that I would make myself strong enough..." Lee's hold tightened against the log, "But now...I am not so sure. I do not know if I will ever be able to work hard enough to beat real talent." Lee closed his eyes, his shoulders strained as he tried to hold back tears. "That is why I am always taking on Neji. I keep thinking all of my efforts will pay off...but it is always the same." Lee bit his bottom lips, tears slid down the side of his face.  
"I am no match for him at all!" Lee shouted back at Guy, he crumpled over himself, "Every time we have a mission, my legs begin shaking! I do not know if I can take it! Sometimes it seems as if the whole thing...the whole thing is pointless...like I'm a loser and I will always be a loser!"  
Guy closed his eyes, his arms crossed as he listened to Lee cry. "I-I do not know what to do..."  
"You're right, all the effort is pointless, if you don't believe in yourself." Lee turned his head up, looking back at Guy. He walked over to him.  
Night soon came, the moon was high in the sky, stars shimmering down on them. Lee and Guy sat alone in the grass.  
"Y'know, Lee, you and I are a lot alike," Guy said, looking over at him. "You mean the eyebrows?" Lee asked, "Eh...no...I don't mean our eyebrows!" Guy shook his head, "Why does everyone keep bringing that up?" Guy whispered to himself, Lee turned his head over to him. "Huh, sensei?" Lee tilted his head, "Uh...you see. I was a loser too once." Guy said with a nod, Lee's eyes widened, "What? You were a loser?" Lee gasped, "Oh, yes indeed. But I made myself the equal of any ninja, even Kakashi." Guy flashed Lee a grin, "And even I did it through effort. You say you want to show the world that you can be a great ninja, even if you don't have all the gifts that others have. That's your ninja way, right? Well, I think that's a fine goal! As fine a goal as I've ever heard, and one worth sticking too!" Lee sniffled, tears blurring his vision, he scrunched his shoulders close to him. "Don't let anyone steer you off the path you've drawn for yourself," Guy rose a tight fist, "Forge your way to the end." Guy looked up at the night sky, "Stick to it, Lee! Make me proud! Be everything you can be!" Guy looked back over at him, putting his hand on the top of Lee's head.  
"Will you do that for me, Lee?" Guy asked, looking down at him with a smile. "Yes, sir!" Lee answered back, wiping his tears onto his arms. _

Lee regained his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked up at Guy. Guy gave him a nod, a genuine smile on his face. _Guy-sensei..._ Lee thought with a sniffle, _thank you._

Sand slithered around on the floor, moving up in a circle around Gaara like a tornado, it was preparing for another attack.  
"He can't go on!" Sakura shouted out, "Make him quit before he gets himself killed!" She whined, putting her hands over her eyed.  
"I know you can do this Lee," I whispered, nodding my head. "Give it your all!" I shouted out, punching a fist up into the air.

Lee regained his stance, the back of his hand pointing towards Gaara. The sand lept towards him once again, Lee dodged it with ease, the sand crashed back down into the floor. In a flash of Green, he turned towards Gaara. "Hm?" Gaara squinted his eyes at him.

"What?" Kankuro breathed out, "He's still able to..." Neji's eyes widened, "Move!" I gasped, my grasp around the railing tightening.

 _I will make you proud._ Lee thought with a strong smile, staring Gaara down. _I will forge ahead and follow my path till the end, and become the ninja I know I can be!_

"Lee's smiling!" Sakura gasped, watching as Lee dodged Gaara's incoming attack. "He's running for his life, but he's still smiling!" Sakura's eyes widened, "Yes. But now it's Gaara's turn to run." Guy answered back, his hands on his hips. "Huh?" Sakura tilted her head, "The leaf village lotus always blooms twice." Guy said, turning down to her. "I've heard that somewhere before. Wait-!" Sakura gasped. "Back in the Forest of Death, Lee told (Y/N) that!" Sakura nodded, looking over at me. All my attention was on the battle, Kankuro and Naruto stood close by my side. "But..." Kakashi's eye widened, "No. Guy, you didn't." Kakashi's tone turned harsh, he took a step closer to him. Guy closed his eye.  
"Yes, Kakashi, **I did.** "  
Kakashi squinted his eye down at Guy, "So, that genin...that boy is able to open the eight inner gates and use the hidden lotus?" Kakashi crossed his arms.  
Neji squinted his eyes, _hidden lotus?_ "That's correct." Guy confirmed, "Well, if that isn't the most!" Kakashi seethed, turning his head away from Guy, his fists clenched. "Okay. So, then, how many of the inner gates is he able to open now?" Kakashi asked, his tone serious. Guy looked down at his feet. "Five gates."  
"Okay, what exactly are these 'eight inner gates' you two are talking about? And the hidden lotus?" Sakura asked, looking back and forth between them.  
"The eight gates are like valves or chakra limiters that must be opened if one is to release the hidden lotus." Guy explained, his eyes closed. "I'm still not following." Sakura shook her head, Kakashi turned to Lee. He dug his finger's under his headband, pulling it back to reveal his Sharingan eye.  
"There are gates along the chakra network, located at points in the body where chakra is the most heavily concentrated. Starting at the head, there is the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Rest, the Gate of Life, the Gate of Pain, the Gate of Closing, of Joy, of Shock, and then the Gate of Death." Kakashi explained with a grim look, "These are the eight inner gates. Their purpose is to limit the flow of chakra through the body, but the lotus exerts tremendous pressure on these limiters, eventually forcing these gates open. This releases the restraints of chakra, the result being that the person's strength being increased ten times fold. Or more." Kakashi shook his head as he looked down at Lee.  
"The primary lotus opens only the first gate, the Gate of Opening, releasing the brains restraints on the muscles, freeing your person to bring forth it's bodies strength to its full extent. You've seen the results." Guy continued on with Kakashi's explanation, "And, uh, the hidden lotus?" Sakura continued on with her line of questions.  
"At the second gate, the Gate of Rest, one's strength is increased further. And at the third gate, the Gate of Life, one enters the hidden lotus." Guy said with a nod, "Wait a minute, just the primary lotus almost destroyed him, he could barely move! What's going to happen to him if he takes it further?" Sakura asked, shaking her head.  
"Exactly." Kakashi sighed, "Huh?" Sakura turned her head around to him. "By opening all the eight gates, you could obtain power beyond even the Hokage's, the only drawback is...  
 ** _You die_** **.** "

Sakura gasped, Kakashi snapped his head back to Guy. "I don't know what this boy means to you, Guy. But I shouldn't have to tell you that we never bring our personal feelings into play. I wouldn't have thought you were capable of this." "You have no right, you know nothing about him, nothing at all!" Guy shot back, "Besides, it yourself is a bit hypocritical to say." "What?" Kakashi seethed, Guy shook his head, pointing down at Lee.  
"That boy has something important to prove, and he's determined to prove it. Even at the cost of his life." Guy paused, looking back down at Lee. "And I am determined to help him reach his goal. Not for his sake, but because that goal is worth reaching."

 _"Alright Lee, I'm going to be teaching you a new technique. So, pay attention, now." Guy called out, Lee's eyes widened. He jumped up into the air, "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Lee's cheering muffled together as he danced around excitedly, "Okay, okay, enough of that." Guy called out, watching Lee buzz around, Lee continued to jump and cheer. "A new technique! A new technique! A technique!" "Gnnnn!" Guy seethed, "Lee! I said pay attention!" Guy shouted, punching Lee in the side of the face.  
Lee rolled back on the grass, sitting straight up. "Right! Pay attention! Yes, sir!" Lee shouted back, quieting down. Guy put his hands on his hips. "Let me first just say one thing, this technique is even more forbidden than the primary lotus. It is not without danger, but it will be your trump card." Guy explained, Lee looked up at him with big eyes. "Ah...it wha..." Lee could barely speak._

 _"But, listen." Guy paused,_ pointing one _finger up. "You can only use this technique under one condition, one very strict condition. And that is-_

Lee rose his arms in front of him, closing his eyes. _And the one condition is..._

Chakra filled the air around him, the wind started to turn, flowing upwards around Lee. It picked up his hair, power flowed through his veins. Gaara rose to fingers in front of his face. "I don't know what you think you're planing now, but this match is over for you," Gaara said to Lee, looking him in the eye. "You are right," Lee called back.  
"This match is over. One way or another!"  
"Neji...Sasuke...and...Naruto." He whispered.

"I am not going to be the only one to lose here!" Lee shouted out, _Guy-sensei, please let this work! It is now or never!_

Lee's immense power filled the room, pieces of rubble flew up around him. Lee's veins started to pop out, his skin changing into a dark red. His chakra zipped around him, it was heavy in the air. Lee shot his arms away from his face, back down to his sides, _the condition is..._

" _ **To protect and maintain one's own ninja way!**_ "

 _To be continued..._


	49. The Fifth Gate, A Splendid Ninja Is Born

"Lee!" I gasped, "His whole body's changing!" I couldn't believe what I was seeing, "He's turning red!" Naruto's eyes were wide open, he was leaning on the railing next to me, half of his body hanging off of it. "What's it mean? What's happening?" Kankuro asked, leaning closer.

Lee growled, his head down as he focused on his power. The ground beneath him started to break, rubble flying up around him as he charged his power.

 _"_ He's opened up the third gate. _"_ Kakashi squinted his eyes down at Lee, _"_ Now he'll attack." Kakashi shook his head. "No, no. Not yet." Guy answered back, "Hmm?" Kakashi turned his head over to him, Guy stayed silent, watching Lee.

Lee was crouched, his skin a bright red, his fists tightly clenched. " _The fourth gate!_ " Lee shouted, his muscles straining, an intense gleam in his eye. " _Gate of Pain, open!_ " Lee commanded in a shout, the intensity of his chakra growing, you could feel it. His veins bulged out from his skin as he screamed, an unbelievable pain burning its way through his body, but Lee didn't stop. He continued to focus on his chakra.

"Incredible." Kakashi whispered in a shocked tone, "No one could do that through sheer effort alone." Kakashi couldn't take his eyes off of Lee, "The boy's truly a genius."

Lee bent down on his knee, "Hm." Gaara's eyes opened slightly, Lee was already gone, leaving nothing but rubble and dust where he once was. In a flash, he was on Gaara. A strong kick to the chin sent Gaara flying back, the force and speed turned the wind, it pushed around the room.  
Ino shrieked as she tried to keep her balance, Choji and Shikamaru held onto the railing. Kakashi didn't lose sight of Lee, following him with his Sharingan eye. I rose my arms over my face, Naruto started to stumble, his yellow spiky hair blown back. Kankuro put his arm in front of his chest to block the incoming wind.

"He's faster than ever," Kakashi grunted, regaining his footing. "Huh? Gaara!" Kankuro shouted out, trying to search through the dust cloud below. "Where are they?" I wondered, my eye wide as I also tried to look. "Huh?!" I gasped, my eyes trailing up.  
"Up there!" Shikamaru shouted out.

Gaara rose up from the dust clouds, cracks running across his face. Gaara gritted his teeth, the sand barrier crumbling.  
"There's Gaara, but what happened to Lee?" Ino wondered, wide-eyed. "H-He's just-gone!" Choji gasped, trying to search through the dust.

Sand rose around Gaara, Lee's voice boomed below. "Hiding behind that sand armor again? Well, we will see about that!" Lee shouted at him, in a second, Lee was on top of Gaara, facing down at him.

Lee kicked Gaara down, his heel digging into Gaara's stomach, in a flash, Lee was behind Gaara with another kick, flinging him back up. Lee moved Gaara around like a ping-pong ball. As he reached the top, he was thrown back down, when he reached the bottom, thrown back up.  
Chips off Gaara's sand armor peeled off, cracks riddling his fake skin. _My...armor..._ Gaara watched it peel away, _it cant withstand this much pounding...it's crumbling away..._ Gaara fell back, floating down to the ground, Lee turned to him, watching him fall.  
"You are a tough one!" Lee shouted back at him, kicking him back up. Lee jumped down to the ground, kicking off of the rubble, he flew back into the air, moving in front of Gaara. Blood dripped from Lee's nose, his body starting to take the full force of the open gates. Gritting his teeth, Lee pulled back his arm.  
"Try this!" Lee shouted down at Gaara, his arm popped. Lee's arm moved back unnaturally, as he clenched it into a fist.  
"H-His muscles are tearing themselves apart..." I whispered, horrified. Neji squinted his eyes up, _is that really Lee? But when? How?_ Neji gritted his teeth.

Gaara took an uneasy breath as he looked up at Lee's clenched fist. "One more and we are finished!" Lee shouted down at Gaara, starting to pull his arm back, loud cracks sounded from it. "The fifth gate..." Lee called out, "Gate of Closing...OPEN!"

Lee shouted a loud cry as he flew down towards Gaara, chakra rushing into his fist. Out of the corner of his eye, he peered down at Neji.  
 _No human can move like this..._ Gaara thought, raising his arms in front of him, the little brace. _It's impossible to defend myself..._  
Lee clenched his jaw. _Are you watching, Neji? I was saving this ace in the hole to use against you! See what you have to look forward too!_

Lee's fist dug into Gaara's stomach, he twisted his knuckles around as it hit. Gaara's arms flew up, his back arching as he took the blow, it pushed him down, but Lee didn't let go of him. Gaara's back snapped as his momentum was slowed, he looked up at Lee. Lee was holding onto Gaara by a thin bandage he had tied around Gaara's waist, his fist was tightly clenched onto it.  
The sand slowly started to come, chasing the two of them down.

Temari shook her head, _his sand shield can't keep up!_ A bead of sweat ran down the side of Kankuro's face. _He's in trouble..._ "Wow..." Naruto's mouth was wide open, my hands were clasped together.  
Guy watched Lee closely. _The hidden lotus, a taijutsu combination of such blinding speed, no one could defend themselves against it. Not even Neji. Gaara's sand shield is useless._

Lee opened his palm, the bandage in his other hand. _Now to finish it!_

Gaara gasped as Lee pulled him closer with a shout, kicking up his leg, Gaara's eyes widened,  
" **Hidden Lotus**!"  
Lee shouted, his heel burying its self into Gaara's chest.

Sand mixed with dust blew around the arena, people struggled to keep their balance as the winds blew. Shikamaru kept his arms in front of his face, squinting his eyes down at the match. _He moved so fast, I couldn't see a thing!_

Lee bit down on his tongue, his nose scrunched up as pain ran through his leg, his knee bent up, his calf bending backward.  
As Gaara fell, a large crack sounded behind him, his mouth was wide open.  
"What's happening?" Kakashi called out, "The gourd!" Guy shouted back, "It's turning into sand!"

A loud cloud of dust formed in the middle of the arena, Lee fell to the side of it, rolling out on the ground, he couldn't move. "Unbelievable! He did it!" Naruto shouted to my side, "Gaara!" Kankuro shouted on the other, my hand was over my mouth.  
"I-Is it over?" Sakura called out. The dust started to clear, "Huh?" Shikamaru's eyes widened, on oddly shaped silhouette cut through the dust. Ino's eyes widened, "What's that? Down there!" She called out, pointing down.

Gaara wheezed, his chest heaving up and down. Naruto was at a lost for words.

Gaara slowly raised his cracked hand up as he laid on a bed of sand, Kakashi squinted his eyes down at him. _Unbelievable!_ Guy gasped, _he cushioned his fall by turning the gourd into sand!_

Gaara's body shook as he rose his hand higher, Lee was out of breath, his legs unmovable. He tried to get up onto his knees, but he fell back to his side. Sand rose as a giant hand, it wiggled through the air, heading straight towards Lee. Lee tried to crawl out of the way, but his legs wouldn't give, his arm twisted in an unnatural way.  
Shino clenched his fists, _it's...the sand coffin._

The sand crept closer, Lee desperately tried to push, only moving a few inches away. Gaara kept a shaking hand up, his eyes wide as he watched the sand move closer, his breathing turning heavier, faster.  
"I-Impossible..." Lee whispered, turning his head back to the sand creeping closer. _Not only did he survive the hidden lotus, he is able to go on the attack!_  
Lee gritted his teeth, stretching his good arm out, digging his fingers into the uneven floor, but it was fruitless. The sand crawled up his leg, Lee moved his arm out to try to get it off, but the sand consumed it as well, Gaara's eyes were wide with fury.  
Gaara grunted, the sand wouldn't move any further. Lee's mouth opened as he felt the sand start to get tighter, Gaara moved his hand in closer.  
"Sand coffin." He breathed out, clenching his hand into a fist.  
"AHHHH!" Lee screamed out in pain, the sand crushed his arm and leg, he couldn't keep his eyes open. "I-I..." Lee coughed, blood dripping down his chin. _I am not going to be the one who loses! I...I have...my own...ninja way..._

Lee couldn't take the pain. He passed out cold on the jagged ground.

Guy furrowed his brow, Gaara started to climb up, his head twisted. He moved his hand out, the sand burst out from underneath him.  
"No!" Hayate called out

" **Now you die**." Gaara breathed out, the sand fell over Lee.

"Huh?" Gaara gritted his teeth, Guy stood in front of Lee, kicking the sand out of the way. Their eyes met.  
"Gnnnnn..." Gaara closed his eyes, throwing his hand onto his head, pain stinging his forehead. "But...but why..." Gaara breathed out.  
"He failed...and you saved him..." Gaara grimaced at the pain.

"Because he's..." Guy paused, "Because he's my student."  
Temari squinted her eyes down at him, _he's precious to him because he's his student?_

Gaara got up on his feet, the sand gathering back to form the gourd. "Huh?" Guy watched Gaara get up. "I quit..." Gaara whispered as he walked away.  
"What? He quite's?" Sakura watched Gaara walk away. "But it's too late for Lee to win, he lost the match the minute Guy jumped in.

"The winner is-!" Hayate stopped halfway, his mouth wide open.  
Guy slowly turned his head around, Gaara stopped dead in his tracks.

Lee's right leg shook, it snapped as he stood up, blood poured into the cracks of the arena's ground. The bandaged on his arm were stained red, but above all, he was standing.  
Lee was standing.

"It can't be..." Guy turned around to Lee. Lee pointed the back of his hand open, his limbs twitched as he stood, cracks sounding from his leg. Gaara turned back around.

A sharp shadow ran across Lee's face, his head was bent down.

 _After all that he shouldn't be able to move._ Kakashi watched with wide eyes, _let alone stand up._

Guy walked to Lee, "No, Lee." He said, putting his hands on Lee's shoulders. "It's alright, it's all over now." Guy shook his head, "Anyway, you are in no condition to-" Guy paused, looking down at Lee, his mouth ajar.

"L-Lee..." Guy whispered, a tear rolled down the side of his face, many followed behind. "Oh...Lee...what have I done?" His tears dripped to the ground. Lee's eyes were glossed over, his head down, an emotionless look on his face, blood continued to drip from his arm.  
"Look at you..." Guy cried, tears streaming down his face. "Not even conscious...and still determined to show the world what you can do..." Guy bit down on his bottom lip.

 _He's out cold._ Kakashi closed his eyes, pulling back down his headband. _Nothing keeping him up but sheer willpower._

"Lee..." Guy closed his eyes, "You've already proven it." He sniffled, moving Lee close to his chest, Lee's eyelids finally dropped down, his eyes closed. Guy wept, holding Lee close to his chest. "You are a great ninja."

Hayate looked down at the ground, his eyes closed as he raised his arm. "The winner is Gaara..."

"Lee!" Sakura shouted out, jumping up on the edge of the railing. "Sakara!" Kakashi called to her, she turned her head around to him. "There is nothing you can do for him now." Kakashi walked closer to her, she bent her head down. "There are times where sympathetic words only make things worse."

"Heh." Temari shrugged, "I knew he couldn't beat Gaara." She said, turning to Mikio. "Obviously." He answered back, leaning backward on the railing, his arms crossed.

 _Still, it was a lot tougher a match then we thought._ Kankuro nodded, my fists were tightly clenched. I growled as I jumped off of the railing, landing into the arena, I ran towards Lee. Gaara stopped, turning his head over to me as I passed him, I kept moving forward. He watched me.  
"(Y/N)..." Kakashi whispered with a sigh.

"Hurry, this boy needs attention," Hayate called out, bent down to him next to Guy, the medics were rushing towards him. "Lee..." I whispered, looking down at him.

The doctors crowded around him, a cot laid out on his side. I stood next to Guy as they checked him. One of them looked up at Guy, a frown on his face.  
"You're his teacher, aren't you?" He asked, "I am. What is it?" Guy nodded, the paramedic stood up. "Will you come with me?" He asked, stepping to the side, Guy followed him.  
"Careful with him." Another called out, I looked down as the picked Lee up, moving back to he cot. "That's right, easy." He nodded, laying Lee down gently. One of them moved up, scurrying away. I took a step closer, looking down at Lee, he was motionless.

"The boys breathing is faint but steady. There are bone fractures and muscle tears throughout his body, he's facing a long and difficult rehabilitation." He explained, Guy was silent, looking down at the ground. "But I'm afraid, that's not the worst of it." The medic paused, closing his eyes. I looked up at him, tears starting to peck at my eyes.

"His left arm and leg, in particular, have suffered massive damage. I'm sorry, I know how much it means to you both, but... **he'll never fight again.** "

The lifted Lee up, I moved closer to him. "N-No...he's wrong...i-it can't be true..." I whispered, looking down at Lee's closed eyes, my shoulders shook. Guy was on the other side of the cot, I looked up at him.  
 _Lee...oh Lee...please forgive me. I couldn't stand the thought of you losing...I wanted you to achieve your goal. To prove that your ninja way was the right way._

Guy watched as they carried Lee away, I stood by him, but Guy's mind was off.  
 _It was all my fault, I should've stopped it..._ Guy's head hung low, _forgive me. Lee!_

"No...it's not true...it can't be true..." I breathed out, watching them walk out the door, I clenched my fists. "You..." Tears ran down the sides of my face, "It's not fair...it's not fair! You were going to show how a failure could win! You were going to show-!" Kakashi's hand was over my mouth, he stood close behind me. I slapped his hand out of the way, tears streaming down my face.  
I looked up to him, my eyes burning. "That's enough, (Y/N)." He put his hands on my shoulders. "But sensei! It isn't fair! All he ever wanted was to prove himself!" I shouted back to him, Kakashi's wouldn't let me out of his grip.  
"And maybe that is what led to his downfall." Kakashi looked down at me, "He was so fixated on that goal that he sacrificed his body, his future, to attain it. And now that goal is unattainable."  
"B-But..." I whispered, looking down at my feet. Kakashi put his hand on the top of my head, I closed my eyes.  
 _Lee...just make it through, okay?_

Neji crossed his arms, his eyes closed. _Lee, you didn't understand. Even at the end, fate will never smile on the fortunes of a ninja who seeks victory by falling on his own power, or demanding that others fall on theirs._ Neji shook his head.

Guy turned away, his head down. Gaara turned to me, our eyes met for a second. The look I couldn't place, not on his face. It looked almost...sorry.  
He turned away, in a burst of sand, he was back on the stands next to Temari and Mikio. _So, the worst didn't happen after all._ Baki thought, looking down at Gaara. "Good to have you back, Gaara," Temari said with a smile, he looked over at her.  
" _Don't talk to me._ " He warned, Temari's eyes widened as she took a step back, a nervous look on her face.

Kakashi patted me on the shoulder before he turned around, Guys back was facing him. Kakashi let out a small sigh as he walked over to him.  
"Guy." Kakashi called out to him, he kept his back turned. "What I said earlier, it was out of line." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, "I was being a self-righteous fool. I realize now that if I had been in your shoes, I probably couldn't of stopped him either." Kakashi closed his eyes. I turned to Kakashi.  
"Come on, Guy. Let's go up." Kakashi motioned to the stands, "They can't start the next match with us standing here." Kakashi called out to him, Guy paused.  
"Right." He answered back.

 _To be continued..._


	50. Sibling VS Sibling

"Oh man, Choji's really in for it now," Shikamaru whispered over to Ino, she nodded. "Yeah, three others left, and they're all pretty strong." Ino whispered back, "There's that guy from the sand over there," Ino motioned her hand over to Mikio, "Just look at him, he looks like he could pick Choji up with one hand." She looked at his muscular arms, "He doesn't look that strong." Shikamaru said with a shrug, crossing his arms. "Right..." Ino said, shaking her head. "Anyways, then there's the guy from the Sound." She pointed over at Dosu, "He looks pretty powerful." She nodded, "And then, (Y/N)." Ino and Shikamaru looked over at me. "(Y/N) and Choji may be friends, but I don't think they're going to go easy on him just because of it. (Y/N)'s got a lot more powerful over the years, I don't know if Choji can take them on," Ino told Shikamaru, he nodded. "Yeah, it's not looking good for Choji," Shikamaru whispered back with a nod.  
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Choji asked, walking closer to them. Ino jumped, Shikamaru gulped, waving his hands defensively. "O-Oh! Nothing, nothing." Ino said, shaking her head. "Yeah, why would I want to talk to Ino anyway?" Shikamaru answered back, turning his head away with his arms crossed. Ino shot him a stern look, "And what do you mean by that?" She asked, tapping her foot on the ground angrily, "Oh...well-"

"Ahem." Hayate called out, everyone's attention was on him. Hayate rose his hand, the screen flicked to life once again.  
 _It's got to be me this time!_ I looked up at the flashing screen, only the four names left, I held onto the railing with a death grip. _Come on, come on!_ I gritted my teeth. The screen let out a small beep, the names written on the screen boldly:

 **DOSU KINUTA VS. CHOJI AKIMICHI**

I let out a long sigh.

Choji walked confidently through the stands, heading towards the staircase. Dosu was already down in the arena, watching him walk closer. Choji stopped, facing him. Hayate nodded.

Dosu chuckled as he looked over at Choji, "So, it's finally my turn." He breathed out, looking down at Choji. Choji clenched his fists, _just keep your eyes on the prize._ Choji thought to himself, _all you can eat barbeque!_  
Dosu looked at Choji with a dull expression, _my job is to survive to the main tournament and battle Sasuke and (Y/N), isn't that right, Lord Orochimaru? I wouldn't want to disappoint you. I'm beginning to see through your design, the reason you set us against Sasuke and (Y/N) and told us to kill them, the curses you put on them. We were your pawn's, weren't we? Put here merely to test the limits of those two's abilities, it's not their lives you want, but them themselves. You played us all for fools, even me._

"Alright." Hayate's voice cut through Dosu's thoughts, Hayate looked up at them from his clipboard, the sheet nearly filled out.  
"Let the tenth match, begin."

"You can do it!" Shikamaru shouted out, leaning his chest over the railing, "Fatso!" Ino shouted along with him.  
"Gnnnnn!" Choji gritted his teeth, his fists clenched at his sides, he growled angrily. "Okay!" Choji shouted back, "I'm gonna finish this match, and when it's all over, which will only take two seconds, I'm coming after you Ino!" Choji screamed, raising his fists in the air.  
"Fine, fatso. If you want this match to end quickly, I'll just win it quickly." Dosu answered back, Choji snapped his head around, his eyes burning with fury. "You're going to go down hard, mummified weirdo." Choji seethed, glaring Dosu down. _I know his techniques all too well,_ Choji thought, _those holes in his arm make a pulsing sound, but if I can't hear it, then he can't hurt me!_  
"Ha!" Choji slapped his hands together, "Ninja art! Expansion jutsu!" Choji shouted out, in a puff of chakra, he was thrice is size, standing like a large ball in front of Dosu. "Now!" Choji spread his legs apart, "The hidden leaf style taijutsu!" Choji shouted, his arms and legs sucked in, streams of chakra pouring out of them, he buried his head down as well, the chakra keeping him upright. _This will protect my ears from his sound attacks!_

Choji jumped up, "Human boulder!" He shouted, rolling towards Dosu, Dosu watched him with a dull expression.  
"Yeah, alright Choji! You can do it! Squash him good for me!" Ino shouted out with a raised fist, Shikamaru nodded. _That guy doesn't even need to touch Choji to hit him with a powerful sonic attack, but they only work when Choji's ears are showing. With his head covered, it's like Choji's wearing earplugs._

Dosu easily jumped out of the way of Choji's attack, Choji turned around, just as easily as the last, Dosu dodged.  
 _His sonic attacks are useless against the huge meatball, especially when it's rolling._

Dosu stood in front of the back wall, Choji charged at him, Dosu gave a small sigh. As Choji rolled closer, Dosu hopped out of the way, Choji smashed into the back wall.  
"Heh." Dosu chuckled as he jumped up into the air, his sleeve rolling off of his arm, "He barely has any control over where he's going." Dosu shook his head, heading down on Choji. Choji was stuck in the wall, trying to pull himself out. "Now to end this!" Dosu shouted out, punching Choji strongly in the back, his fist sank it a bit.  
"It's no use, my ears are plugged!" Choji shouted back at him with a snort, "You're so wrong." Dosu answered back, tapping his arm.  
"Wwwwwooooooaaaaaahhhhhh!" Choji shouted out, beginning to wiggle uncontrollably. In a puff of smoke, it was all over, Choji was flat on his face.  
"The human body is made up of seventy percent water, and water can transmit sound waves. You do the match." Dosu said with a sigh, his sleeve rolling back down his arm, Hayate walked over with his clipboard, scribbling something down. Hayate waved his hand,  
"The winner is Dosu Kinuta," Hayate called out, walking back to the front of the room. Dosu walked back to the staircase, his head down. _Orochimaru, I am more than just a puppet._

We were the only two left.

Hayate coughed into his sleeve before he looked down at his clipboard, his eyes widened slightly. The eleventh match, the only two left:

 **(Y/N) (L/N) VS. MIKIO (L/N)**

Hayate stared down at the names, pausing as he looked up into the stands. Our eyes were locked together, a furious staring match. Hayate turned around, looking up to the Hokage, Anko was blocking his vision.  
"We can't let this continue any longer," Anko said sternly, he looked up at her, his finger tapping on the edge of his pipe. "You know what happened last time, and you know it will happen again." She crossed her arms, a serious tone in her voice. "Last time Orochimaru and his brother Ichiro fought they nearly took down **the entire arena!** " Anko opened her palms, "The power of the (L/N) clan is too much, and with Orochimaru's curse on (Y/N), it's going to make it even worse." She shook her head, "You misunderstand, Anko." He spoke out to her, she looked up at him. "If I knew it would come to such extremes, I would've stopped the match already, but you don't know that child (Y/N) as much as I do." He said, walking closer to the edge of the platform. "They have a kind heart, not a bit of evil or hatred in their body, and yet a strong yearning curiosity." He looked down at us, Anko stood by him. "This match will continue. If history repeats it's self, let it." The Hokage said, looking down at Hayate with a nod, Hayate nodded back, turning his head over to us.

"So, it has come down to this, brother." I called out to him, "Tch." Mikio clicked his tongue, "I'm not your brother anymore, don't act like it." He seethed, his arms crossed. I turned my head away from him, "Fine, have it your way. I don't want to be your sibling either!" I shouted back at him, my fists clenched.  
"Just shut up!" He shouted back me, "I don't take orders from you!" I growled, gritting my teeth. A pain stung my neck, I put my finger over it, Mikio shook his head.  
"You're just Orochimaru's plaything, I don't need to waste time on the likes of you." Mikio shook his head, his arms crossed, I shot an irritated look at him. "I'm no one's 'plaything', what big O did..." I sighed, "There has to be a reason." I whispered, Mikio chuckled. "Oh, there' a _reason_ alright." He scoffed, "What? Are you that naive? Orochimaru's only out for what he wants, and right now, that's the Daigan." Mikio clicked his tongue, "With you at his side and that Uchiha, who knows how much destruction he'll bring." "You're wrong!" I shook my head, "Uncle isn't like that, he wouldn't-" "Open your eyes, why do you think he comes back now? After all those years of us thinking he's dead, he comes back now. It's the perfect opportunity to take what he wants."

"No." I clenched my fists at my sides, "No, Mikio, you're wrong." I rose my fists, leaning a leg back, I took a strong stance. Mikio furrowed his brow, raising his fists as well.  
"It's been a few years since we last fought," I called to him, "Heh, you don't look like you've gotten any stronger." Mikio answered back, eyeing me up and down, "Well, at least I don't look like I've gotten weaker." I squinted my eyes at him, "Hmph, you're going down, there's no way you could beat me, with or without that silly Daigan of yours." Mikio gritted his teeth, "I doubt you could even land a hit on me!" I stuck my tongue out at him,  
"Oh, yeah?" "Yeah!" "Try me then!"  
"Gnnnnn!" I growled angrily, I turned on my heel, charging towards him. I was furious, he pulled his arm back, clenching a strong fist, he threw a punch at me. I quickly turned out of the way, it whisked by my head. I turned my body around, send a fist towards Mikio's face, I shouted as I felt my knuckles dig into his skin. His teeth chattered together as I stuck him, he twisted his arm around, grabbing onto my wrist as he flung me up into the air, I turned, looking down at him as I jumped to the ground, skidding to a halt.

I looked down at my wrist, red marks where his fingers once were streaked across it, I looked back to him. _He's gotten a lot stronger since we last fought, I need to keep on my toes._ I thought, regaining my stance, _this might prove to be a difficult fight._ I rose my fists up, Mikio watched me carefully, his hands down by his sides. _They've gotten a bit more powerful,_ Mikio thought, eyeing me up and down, _I can still feel that punch._ "Heh." Mikio chuckled, "Is that all you've got? It's going to take a lot more than those weak baby punches to take me down." "Yeah?" I rose my head up to him, "It's going to take more than just pulling on my arm to beat me." I shot back, "Hmph." He crossed his arms. "If you think that's all I'm capable of, you're mistaken." I answered back to him, "This fight is one-sided." He took a step closer to me, "It's best if you forfeit now before you get hurt."  
I clenched my fists, "Funny, I was just going to say that." I answered back, keeping my stance.

"They keep arguing with each other." Sakura said crossing her arms, "I don't like that guy Mikio down there," Naruto mumbled, shaking his head. "Yeah, he's a bit weird looking, they almost don't look like they're related until it comes to the hair." Sakura nodded, "And the eyes." Naruto added, agreeing.

I charged at him again, he stood his ground, watching me come closer, I threw a punch out to him, he dodged, I grinned as I moved my leg up, kneeing him in the stomach. He absorbed the blow with a loud growl, picking up my thigh, he threw me up into the air, this time higher. As I started to fall down, he came up to meet me with a punch, I quickly dodged it, spinning up behind him, I dug my heel into his back, it cracked slightly. He let out a loud hiss as he landed on the ground with a skid. I landed gently on the other side of the arena.

Mikio growled as he stood back up, squinting his eyes back over to me, I rose my fists once again. "Stop playing around." He shouted back at me, my eyes widened slightly. "I know you're saving your attacks, I don't need your pity." Mikio spat back at me, clicking his tongue. "Ha, you think I pity you? I'm just trying not to kill you." I answered back, shaking my head. "But, if you want this battle to get serious..." I began, my tone changing.  
"Then it'll get serious."

Mikio turned over to me, I clasped my hands together, a large sting burned into the side of my neck, I grimaced at the pain, digging my feet into the jagged ground. My fingertips locked together, but something blocked me from gathering chakra to them, my neck burning viciously. I hissed out, closing my eyes as I tried to concentrate, the pain was overbearing.  
"Heh." Mikio chuckled, "Is that some lame excuse for a jutsu?" He walked closer to me, I clenched my fists, the burning feeling start to crawl up the side of my face, my teeth chattered as I tried to push it back. Mikio hopped up on his foot, drawing his arm back, in a flash he bounced towards me, fist raised, I quickly threw myself out of the way without even thinking, jumping over a rock sticking out from the ground. The aftermath of Lee and Gaara's fight made the area's terrain hard to maneuver in, the pain in my neck didn't help. I could feel the burning start to go back down.  
Mikio's punch landed on the ground where I once stood, his fist breaking the rock underneath it, it sent the ground shaking. He turned around on his heel, my hand covered the side of my neck. I needed to think of something, and fast.

I jumped up, turning the ground underneath me soft, the burning in my neck came back, I held it closely as I sunk down. Mikio clicked his tongue, _so they're resorting to the underground,_ Mikio watched the last of me sink under, _if that's where (Y/N) wants to take it!_ "Don't think you can hide from me down there!" Mikio shouted out, bending down to the ground, he started to shove his fists into the rock, trying to dig down.

As I fell through the ground, I landed with a small thud. I was surprised to find tunnels underneath the ground. Some were short, other long and extensive, they stretched out as far as the eye could see. I heard Mikio's shouting above, feeling the vibrations of his punches into the ground, I shook my head. The ground underneath Mikio broke, caving into the underground, he fell in with a large thud.  
"You're out of your element down here," I called out to him, my voice echoing around the tunnels, a small glimmer of light from above cut into the darkness, I stepped away from it. "You've been spending too much time in the Wind," I called out to him, he twisted his head around, trying to hear where I was coming from. "Besides, your eyes aren't as trained as mine. Even without the Daigan, I can see you clearly in this darkness." I whispered, my voice came out strong on the other end.  
I clasped my hands together into another hand sigh, Mikio clenched his fists, "Even if I can't see you, eventually," He rose his fists, "I'll hit you."  
I rolled my eyes, "Not in a million years." I answered back, turning to focus on gaining my chakra. The curse mark burned horribly, it felt like my skin was bubbling, the pain grew along the side of my face, burning its way into my flesh, I strained my neck, trying to force it back down.  
Mikio ran down on the short tunnels, throwing his fists around as he desperately searched for me. "Quit hiding! Quit being a coward and come and face me!" He shouted at me, his voice echoing loudly through the tunnels. I gritted my teeth, "I'm a coward?" I seethed, "I wasn't the one who ran away to the Wind!" I walked closed closer to him, "You think I could've stayed here in the Leaf? I'd rather die!" He shouted back at me, "The Leaf is our home, our families home!" I shot back, "And their grave site!"  
I looked down at my feet, a low growl as I clenched my fists. "You..." I seethed, drawing my arm back. "AHHH!" I screamed, charging towards Mikio. He snapped his head around, tears ran down the sided of my face as I charged towards him.

My scream echoed through the caves, bouncing back outside.  
"Byakugan," Neji whispered, his milky eyes flashing as he looked down at the ground. "Huh?" He muttered, his eyes widening slightly as he watched us fight. Sakura turned to him, "Wait, Neji, can you see what's going on down there?" Sakura asked, taking a step closer, Naruto turned his head around, a skeptical look on his face. Neji kept silent, his lips slightly parted. "Well? What's going on?" She asked, walking closer to him. "(Y/N)'s chakra...it's different." He answered back, watching me and Mikio fight, fists were thrown at each other.

"Ah!" I shouted out, my neck burning as I sent a harsh kick to Mikio's side, I could feel him twist around my shin as he fell back, pushed up against the side wall of the tunnel. I was out of breath, sweat beading down my forehead, Mikio grunted as he tried to stand back up, his legs shaking violently.  
I started to cough, my shoulders twitched as I bore the pain of the curse, Mikio scoffed. He rose his arms up, wasting no time as he ran towards me, listening to the sound of my coughs. He threw a punch down to me, I clumsily dodged, falling back onto the wall of the tunnel. That's when I started to hear it.   
_Hiss..._  
It started to come closer, starting to grow louder. Mikio's eyes widened slightly as he started to hear it as well, he couldn't see anything in the darkness of the tunnel. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to me.  
 _Hisssss..._  
It was louder this time, the hissing sounded like it was coming from behind me, but my back was up against the wall. My mouth opened slightly, a small gasp escaping from my lips,  
 _Hisssss!_  
Kale burst from the wall, sliding past my head, he pounced at Mikio. "AH!" Mikio shouted as he stumbled backward, tripping over the tunnels jagged ground, Kale hit him in the chest with his tale. "Kale!" I shouted out, a wide smile on my face, I tried to walk closer, but I was stopped by another pain. "Ah..." I breathed out, falling to my knees, Kale slithered closely to me.  
 _Do it...rely on the curse mark...(Y/N)..._ Kale moved oddly, picking his head up, his eyes were red, glossed over. His tongue flickered, "Huh?" I gasped out, Kale hissed, his tail starting to twitch. "What...what's wrong...Kale?" I asked him, moving my hand closer, his eyes were starting to change. He looked like he was trying to fight something that wasn't there.

"You and that damned snake." Mikio seethed, wiping a drop of blood off of his chin. I picked Kale up, holding him close to my chest, he twitched uneasily. I reached into my pocket, pulling out the cracked bottle Hinata had given me. _Thanks, Hinata, you really did save me._ I thought as I unscrewed the top of the bottle, "Kale," I whispered down to him, "Kale, it's okay, it's okay." I rocked him in my arm, picking a little bit of the ointment onto my finger, I rubbed it on his back. Kale started to calm down, his eyes flicking back to a calm blue, his slimy tongue tapped my finger, I gave a small sigh of relief.  
"So, where are you and that snake now?" Mikio called out, walking around the tunnel, his hand on his chest as he searched for us. Kale slithered up my, arm his body was still stretched out, he circled around my neck twice, keeping his head up, I stood back up.  
"Mikio." I began, he twisted his head around to the sound of my voice. "You need to forfeit his round. I may have been able to calm Kale down a bit, but his guard is still up. If he bites you," My voice dipped, "It's all over. I don't have any antidote for his venom on me, you'd be dead in minutes." I warned him, looking down at my feet. "Ha." Mikio chuckled, clicking his tongue, "You're not going to scare me with your idle threats." He scoffed, "Mikio, I'm serious, this isn't a joke-" "Nothing you say is going to make me forfeit this round!" He shouted back at me, I clenched my fists. "Fine."

"Have it your way!" I shouted to him, running towards him with a raised fist, the sound of the souls of my sandals hitting the ground caught Mikio's attention, he turned around as he heard me coming closer, "Ah!" I shouted as I threw another punch at him, he twisted out of the way, Kale curled off of my neck, springing off of me, "Kale!" I called to him, catching him by the tail, his jaw snapped closed as I pulled him close to me. Kale hissed at me, I shook my head. "Don't forget our training," I whispered to him, he shrunk, curled around my hand.  
"Move." I whispered down to him, he hopped off of my hand, slithering with me as I ran, "Large!" I shouted out to Kale, he hissed back. In a puff of smoke, Kale grew ten times larger, standing high above my head.  
" **Attack!** "  
I called out, pointing towards Mikio, a loud hiss echoed around the tunnels, bouncing above it filled the arena. Kale flung himself at Mikio, his tale circled around Mikio's body. "AHHH!" Mikio shouted, struggling to get out of Kale's hold, I watched him wiggle.  
"Fly." I whispered to Kale, Kale flopped his tale back down to the ground, throwing Mikio through the roof of the tunnel. A large hole in the ceiling leaked light down into it, it blinded me for a bit, I blinked my eyes as I walked over to Kale. "Shrink." I commanded, Kale shrunk down to the size of my palm, slithering up the side of my arm, he rested around my shoulders.  
I jumped out of the tunnel, my neck stung as I landed on the ground, I held onto it, wincing at the pain. Mikio was on the other side of the arena, flat on his back.

Sakura's mouth was wide open as she watched my walk closer to him, Naruto was in disbelief as well. All eyes were on me. I clenched my fists as I walked closer to him, Mikio climbed up to his knees, his chest shook as he coughed, blood dripping down his chin. "Brother," I whispered down to him, he shot me a furious glance, "Mikio, just leave. Stop the match, we don't have to fight like this." I shook my head, he spat blood down on the floor, wiping it onto his arm, he stomped his feet into the ground as he stood up.  
"There's no way in hell you're going to get me to quit." He answered back, I shook my head. "Mikio-" "Shut up. Stop trying to tell me what to do, I don't need your help." He clicked his tongue, "Fine." I said, taking a few steps back, "Then get up, and let's fight."

I rose my fists, staring directly into Mikio's eyes, Mikio took his stance back, Kale tightened around my neck. I took a step closer to him, letting a punch fly, Mikio dodged it, turning his shoulder, he tried to hit me back, I spun out of the way. Mikio took a step back, clicking his tongue.  
"You're not going to get far with out your jutsu," He called out to me, I ignored him. Mikio slapped his hands together, the chakra sealing. Chakra ran through his arms, he broke the hand sign, hitting his arms together to form an X in front of his chest. The wind around him started to pick up, loose rocks on the ground started to pick up, my eyes widened as the wind started to howl.  
I moved my arms in front of my face, the wind started to get heavy, pushing me back, my heels dug into the ground. I gritted my teeth. Rocks were flung towards me, their sharp edges cutting into my arms and legs as they whisked by. Mikio grinned as he moved his hands, I started to skid back, blood dripping from the new gashes.  
I picked my leg up, stomping down on the ground as I tried to move through the wind, the ground beneath me broke with each step I took. Mikio watched me walk closer, my eyes burning furiously, my neck stinging. It felt like I was running in slow motion, my arm pulled back, my knuckles popping as I got closer to him. Mikio stayed still, his eyes widening, he was stuck in place, he tried to move his arms, breaking the connection between his chakra and the wind, but he wasn't quick enough.  
My fist met with his cheek, his skin bounced as I dug my knuckled into the side of his face. It pushed him back, flying him across the arena, he rolled on the ground, landing down on his face.

The winds subsided, leaning a trail of broken rock behind me. My knuckles were scrapped and red, I ignored the tingling pain on them. I walked closer to Mikio, he was face down on the ground. Blood pooled in Mikio's mouth, it leaked, running down his chin. He was knocked out cold. I knelt down to him.

Hayata moved closer, scribbling something down on his clipboard quickly. Medics were rushing into the room, they laid down a cot next to Mikio. One of them flipped him over on his side, I looked up at him, a small frown on my face.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked them, I didn't even know why I cared about someone like him, I looked down. "Yeah, he should be fine, bad head ache when he wakes up." One of them answered back as they laid him down on the cot, I stood back up.

Hayate cleared his throat, "The winner is, (Y/N) (L/N)." Hayate called out, motioning his hand towards me, I let out a long sigh. _That ended quicker than I thought it would,_ I watched as the medics walked out of the room with Mikio. _He just isn't strong enough, but that wont stop him. He'll come back to challenge me again,_ I shook my head. _The I need to get stronger as well. Kale's the one who saved me, I need to train harder, and get rid of this curse._ My finger tips grazed over the side of my neck, Kale was fast asleep.

Hayate let out a long sigh, _it's finally over._ Hayate walked back to the front of the room. _At long last, we can continue to the final rounds._  
Hayate raised his hand, "With that match, the third exams preliminaries are now over.

Iruka looked out towards the window with a small sigh, a text book in front of his chest. _I wonder what's happened to (Y/N) and Naruto._ He thought, his other hand on his hip.  
Konohamaru turned to Udon, "Come on, let's go sneak outside." Konohamaru whispered to Udon, Udon turned his head over to him, "Heh, Iruka-sensei's distracted, so this is our big chance!" Konohamaru said with a nod, Iruka's eye twitched slightly. He snapped his head back to the class, "Going somewhere, Konohamaru?" Iruka called to him, Konohamaru jumped. "You're not planning on sneaking out again, are you?" He asked, his hands on his hips. "Uh...I-I need to go to the bathroom!" Konohamaru stuttered, "Liar!" Iruka shouted, pointing an accusing finger down at him.  
-

"I commend all those who have advanced to the finals of the chunin exams," Hayate's voice echoed around the room, Ibiki and Anko stood on both sides of him, the Hokage standing behind him on an elevated platform. "Well, still, there's one person missing, but congratulations." Hayate nodded, noticing Sasuke's absence.  
The nine of us stood at each others sides, I looked around at them, my arm's crossed.  
 _Shino, Neji, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Naruto, Dosu, Sasuke, and then me._ I let out a small sigh, my arms fell to my sides.  
"Sensei..." Sakura whispered, Kakashi looked down at he. "I...have a question." She began, looking down at the ground. "About Sasuke? I'm sorry, I don't know much about it, I'm afraid. But I wouldn't worry too much." Kakashi answered back to her, turning his head back down to the arena, he looked over to me.  
 _It's all up to you two, Sasuke and (Y/N)._ Kakashi turned to Sakura, "Sakura, I have to leave, so I'm counting on you to keep an eye on (Y/N) and Naruto, oh, and don't forget to get the details about the finals." Kakashi called out to her, "Huh?" She tilted her head to the side, Kakashi left with a small puff of smoke.  
"Oh...okay..." She mumbled, looking down at the ground.

 _Here, including the absent Sasuke, we have six ninja from the Leaf, three from the Sand, and one from the Sound._ Sarutobi nodded his head, pulling the pipe out from his mouth. "And now, I will begin the explanations of the final rounds." He called out to us, Naruto crossed his arms, _well, it's about time._

"The preliminaries are done." Kabuto said with his head down, on one knee. Orochimaru leaned against a beam, his arms crossed. "Both of them are moving onto the final rounds." Kabuto said with a nod. Orochimaru looked out at the garden, hiding in the shade of the building.  
"While all these countries are busy racing to expand their military might, the birds are still singing." Orochimaru watched a few perch on a fence. "I believe that this country of ours has been at peace for far, far too long." Orochimaru said with a grin, Kabuto rose to his feet. "Then let me do it."  
"Hm." Orochimaru turned his head over to Kabuto, "I don't know." He said with a small shrug, looking back out to the garden. "How much fun would it be to take out an old man like the Hokage anyway?" Kabuto took a step closer, "So that's how it is." Kabuto said with a smile, Orochimaru glanced at him, a hint of anger in his eyes.  
"What's the problem? You're not still having second thoughts on it, are you, Orochimaru?" Kabuto answered back to him, "From now on, each of the hidden villages will clash with each other, in a long and violent struggle." Kabuto tapped the side of his glasses, a large glare streaked across them, hiding his eyes. "Even the sound village won't escape that violence" Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he turned to Orochimaru, "And it's your intention to be the trigger for all that haustilty, by using (Y/N) as a bullet. It's that correct?"  
"Hm." Orochimaru gave a small smile, "You guess very well. So well that it's a bit creepy, in fact." Orochimaru turned back to the garden, "You give me too much credit." Kabuto said, his arms going back down to his sides. "I still didn't know your plans involving Dosu, Zaku, and Kin. While gathering information on (Y/N) and Sasuke, I wanted to learn the skills of those three sound ninja. So, I clumsily confronted them and let them attack me, I learned a lot." Kabuto also looked into the garden, his eyes closed.  
"It seems that," Kabuto paused, "You don't quite trust me, Orochimaru. At least, not yet." Orochimaru crossed his arms, "Was it necessary to tell you, my right hand man about those three ninja? My silence is proof of my trust. I trusted in you to act with out that knowledge." Kabuto looked over at Orochimaru.  
"For that very reason," Orochimaru paused,  
"I'm planning to leave Sasuke and (Y/N) in your capable hands." Orochimaru watched the birds fly away, "Kakashi has been trying to seal the curse marks I had given, but in any event, that is not of my concern. While there is some darkness still left in their hearts we must act, and that is why I want you to abduct them." Orochimaru's tone turned serious, Kabuto looked back at him. "It's unusual for you to act so hastily, is it not?" Kabuto wondered with a small smile, "Perhaps, but there is still a little something that is troubling me." Orochimaru gave a small shrug, "Is it Naruto Uzumaki?" Kabuto asked, Orochimaru's smile widened.  
 _You're quite sharp, aren't you, Kabuto?_  
"Sasuke is driven be revenge, he's burning to bring down his older brother Itachi for what he did to their family. (Y/N) is searching for knowledge, only fed scraps of the truth. When they know it, undoubtedly will they follow the same path I am." Orochimaru pulled out a bright orange card, "According to your information, contact with that nine-tailed kid has altered (Y/N)'s heart and mind, so much so that Naruto holds a certain influence over them. The thing to do is to get (Y/N) away from him immediately." The orange card disappeared from Orochimaru's hand,

"Because then, it'll be so easy to make them mine forever." Orochimaru licked his lips, Kabuto said silent, his fists clenched. "Very well." He answered back, starting to walk away from Orochimaru. Orochimaru squinted his eyes down at him, "Kabuto, wait." He called out, Kabuto stopped dead in his tracks.  
"You know, if it's your desire to stop me," Orochimaru began, Kabuto's eyes widened slightly, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.  
"I'm afraid your only chance is to kill (Y/N) and Sasuke now."

Kabuto's jaw tightened, his hands shaking slightly.  
"You can't possibly hope to kill me, even if you did have the courage, it's worthless. You're no stronger than Kakashi."

Silence broke between them, a breeze picking up, it ruffled the nearby tree, sending leaves falling to the ground. Kabuto stayed silent.  
"Heh." Orochimaru chuckled, "I'm just kidding you. You better run along now. Don't forget, I'm trusting you, Kabuto"

Kabuto left with out a word, Orochimaru watched him. _That face, I wonder what's going on in his head._  
-

"In the final rounds, each of you will put your battle skills on display. You'll demonstrate the power and control that you have achieved in your respective disciplines." Sarutobi paused, "Accordingly, the final battles will commence one month from now." He said with a nod.  
"Wait, we're not going to do it right here and now?" Naruto asked, the Hokage shook his head. "This is to provide a suitable period of preparation." Sarutobi gave a nod, "What do you mean by that?" Neji asked, "Simply this. In addition to announcing the conclusion of the preliminary matches to each countries leaders, we must also have some time to prepare and distribute the summons for the final selection. Not to mention that the due examinees are going to need time to prepare for something that is this important." He explained with a small smile, tapping the end of his pipe.  
 _This old man sure likes to beat around the bush,_ Kankuro thought with a sigh. "Look, I don't really get what you're trying to say. What's the point of this?" Kankuro asked, his arms crossed. "I mean that to know your adversaries, and prepare yourselves, you'll need time. Even though, up to this point, all the battles have been real battles, as I'm sure you can all attest, they were conducted on the premise that you were fighting an unknown enemy. But that is no longer the case, now that you have battled each other."  
 _Yeah, seriously._ Shikamaru carefully looked over at Gaara, _I wouldn't of dreamed that this guy can turn sand into a weapon.  
"_So, in order to make the finals fair and just, we are giving you this month. Each of you must embrace the opportunity to practise hard and learn some new tricks. Because, by now, everyone in here has gotten a taste of your techniques. So, using your old attired tricks is a sure way to lose in the finals. And remember to get some rest as well."  
I crossed my arms. _This isn't some vacation, I won't have any time to relax. I've got to train harder than ever._  
-

The hollow beeping of the electrocardiogram filled the room, Kabuto walked over the bodies of fallen Anbu, towards Sasuke. Sasuke was on the bed, a mask on his face he slowly breathed into, Kabuto stood over him. "Hm. I suppose brilliance can sometimes have its disadvantages." Kabuto whispered, looking down at Sasuke. "We've failed to avoid Orochimaru's watchful eye, and it's most unfortunate for both of us." Kabuto shook his head. _I can't let (Y/N) wrapped up in Orochimaru's plans,_ Kabuto let out a small sigh. _He' so young, but the seeds of evil have already taken root, waiting to be exploited. He'll be ripe for Orochimaru's special jutsu. You wouldn't let (Y/N) go, would you Orochimaru. You want to play them into your plan, and eventually, use them as well. I can't let that happen._

"Kabuto..." Orochimaru whispered, watching him from the rooftops of a near by building, peering into the hospitals window. "Most interesting. Perhaps Kabuto really is going to kill Sasuke after all." Orochimaru tapped his chin.

Kabuto held a scalpel in his hand, listening to the monitor beep, he edged it closer to Sasuke's neck. A small frown on Kabuto's lips as he moved his hand down, in a flash, the scalpel was gone.  
"Well, well." Kabuto called out, Kakashi stood in the door frame, a thin wire tied around Kabuto's scalpel in his hand. "Kakashi, foiling my attack by striking from my blind spot, huh. But now," Kankuro paused, allowing Kakashi to see the destruction he's caused. "Are you ready to take me on? Next time you should station at least ten guards." Kabuto said with a small shrug, Kakashi looked down at the line of corpses. _The Anbu black ops unit I assembled was defeated so easily._ Kakashi looked back over at Kabuto, "You. You're not an ordinary Genin are you." Kakashi took a step closer, "You caught a whiff of me and immediately readied your weapon, quiet impressive." Kakashi called out, continuing to walk closer to Kabuto. "You overestimate me." Kabuto answered back, Kakashi tilted his head slightly. "So, what do you want with Sasuke? Finding you like this, I ought to haul you in for questioning." Kakashi said with his arms crossed. "What, just you? Heh." Kabuto chuckled, turning to Kakashi, "I wonder if you could." He said, taking a step closer to Kakashi.  
"Are you looking to take me on?" Kakashi asked, squinting his eye down at Kabuto. "I know who you are." Kakashi said with a pause, "You're the chief of the medical core's son. Your name, what was it, Kabuto Yakushi? What are you, one of Orochimaru's puppets?" Kakashi asked, a serious tone in his voice. Kabuto grinned.  
"Even if you did take me into custody, you'd never be able to prove that I have any connection to him." Kabuto said with a shrug, "Just answer my question." Kakashi called out, "And if I say no?" Kabuto answered back, "I'm the one asking questions, now give me some answers."

Kabuto put a hand on his hip, "Look, you'll have your answers soon enough, even if I'm not here. You're (Y/N)'s teacher, aren't you? Disgusting." Kabuto called out, Kakashi squinted his eye at him, "I know you have eyes for (Y/N), that's sick. I hate talking to people like you, you make me want to throw up." Kabuto turned slightly to the window, "I don't even want to be in your presence, and by that look on your face, you don't want to be in mine. I think it's about time I left."

"You little brat," Kakashi rose a kunai, "You'll be sorry after I'm done with you." Kakashi called out to him, Kabuto chuckled. "Give me a break, don't be so arrogant." Kabuto answered back, holding another scalpel in his hand, "The cards are clearly in my favor here." Kabuto said, pointing the tip of the scalpel down at Sasuke's neck.  
Silence broke between them, a grin on Kabuto's face.  
He moved the scalpel down closer, Kakashi didn't waste any time.

In a flash Kakashi was in front of Kabuto, Kabuto jumped back, losing his smug grin, he was about to charge towards the window, Kakashi caught ahold of his ankle. Kabuto gritted his teeth as he twisted his torso around Kakashi's arm, flinging the scalpel down towards Sasuke, Kakashi hit his arm out of the way, the scalpel was thrown across the room. Kakashi had Kabuto face down on the floor, one hand holding onto his arm, the other on the back of his neck.

One of the corpses shot up from the ground, dashing towards the rooms front exit. "I should've known." Kakashi said with a sigh, one of his shadow clones met the corpse at the door, stopping him in the door frame. Kakashi let Kabuto go, his clones circling the risen corpse. But Kakashi was wrong.

One laying by the window jumped up, flinging himself out of it, Kakashi ran towards the windowsill, shards of broken glass scattered on the floor, some falling out the window with the corpse.  
He reached up to his mask, pulling it off to reveal Kabuto's face grinning back up at Kakashi.

Kakashi clenched his fists. "I can't believe I let him escape." Kakashi turned back to the room, the corpse from before falling back down to the ground, his clones dissapereing.  
"Impressive." Kakashi said as he knelt down to Kabuto's body, he put his fingers on his neck. "Just as I suspected. The Dead Soul Jutsu." Kakashi said as he felt no pulse coming through. "Being raised as the adopted son of the chief of the medical core is a powerful asset of his." Kakashi looked up at the broken window, "With some one as good as him working with Orochimaru, I've got to work harder. There's no way I can let some one like him stand in the way between me and (Y/N)." Kakashi whispered, standing up as he clenched his fists.  
-

"Now, with all of that behind us, I'd like the begin winding things up." Sarutobi's voice echoed around the room, he called for all our attention. "But before we can bring this to an end, first there is one more important matter to take care of before the final rounds."  
"Let's get on with it! I mean, come on, how long do we have to wait until we start training?" Naruto whined, I nodded my head. "Yeah. You're sure taking a long time, old man." I agreed, my arms crossed. The Hokage sighed,  
"Patience please." He look at us, "In a calm and orderly fashion, each of you will take a piece of paper out of the box that Anko is holding." He said with a nod, Anko stepped in front of us holding a bright orange box, she shook its contents around.  
"Here, everyone stay where you are, I'll come to you." She said with a sigh, starting with Dosu. "Just take one." She said, Dosu rolled up his sleeve, digging into the box. She moved onto Naruto, Naruto closed his eyes as he picked up the first piece he found. She moved onto me. I shot my hand in, swishing around the papers, I took the one all the way at the bottom. I opened the paper up, a large number one stared back at me.  
"Hm?" I tilted my head. Anko continued down the line.

"Good, now everyone has one." Ibiki called out, snatching Hayate's clipboard from him, "Hey..." Hayate mumbled, watching Ibiki walk past with his clipboard, "Yugao gave me that, make sure to give it back." Hayate said to Ibiki, Ibiki gave him a nod, waving him off.  
Clearing his throat, Ibiki looked up at us. "Going from left to right, tell me the number that is on your slip of paper.  
Dosu looked up at him, "I've got seven." Dosu called out, Naruto sighed, "Number ten, of course." Naruto said, shaking his head. "Number one." I said with a small smile. "Three." Temari answered, "Eight." Kankuro said, crossing his arms. "Five." Gaara breathed out, "Four." Shikamaru said with a nod, "Two." Neji called out, looking at me over his shoulder, "Nine." Shino called out, glaring at Neji.  
"Then that means Sasuke will be number six." Ibiki said with a nod, writing it all down onto a blank sheet of paper. "Right. Very good. Now I'm going to tell you how the final selection tournament is going to work." Sarutobi said with a nod, "Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, "Is that what the numbers are for, drawing lots?" Shikamaru asked, crossing his arms. "Ibiki, you may reveal the pairings." The Hokage turned to him, "Yes, sir." He answered back, flipping the clipboard towards us.

 _I'll be waiting for ever,_ Dosu thought with a small sigh. Temari squinted her eyes at the paper, _is that all the final rounds are? A tournament?_ Shikamaru sighed, putting his hands in his pockets, _I have to fight a girl? What a drag._ Kankuro crossed his arms, _man, I'm glad I'm not in the same half of the draw as Gaara._ Gaara looked at the paper, _Sasuke Uchiha..._  
 _(Y/N)..._ Neji thought with a frown, a sharp shadow covering his eyes. _I've got Neji Hyuga right off the bat?_ I turned my head down the line, looking at him. _This couldn't be any better._

Sakura held onto the railing tightly, _Sasuke has to fight...him?_ Sakura gulped, looking down at Gaara. Shikamaru rose his hand, "May I ask a question?" He asked, "You may." Sarutobi said with a nod, "Alright, if this is a tournament, does that mean there is only going to be one winner?" Shikamaru asked, pointing one finger up. "I mean, only one of us is going to be able to become a chunin?" Shikamaru tilted his head, "Actually, it's quite the contrary. There are going to be several judges for the final round, including my self, the shinobi leaders, and the Kazekage. And of course all the lords from the various countries, they will ultimately be assigning your missions to you. Through this tournament, these judges will be able to make a thorough evaluation of your abilities, they will then decide whether any or all of you possess the qualities required of a chunin. Even if some one loses the first round, they could still become a chunin."

"So, there's actually a chance that every one of us could become a chunin?" Temari asked, "Correct, but conversely, there's also a chance that none of you will be chosen. The advantage in fighting more rounds in the tournament is in getting more chances to display your talents in front of the judges who will decide your fate. Does that answer your question, Shikamaru?" Sarutobi explained, turning back to him.  
 _This is about the biggest pain ever,_ Shikamaru thought with a sigh.

"I thank you all for your patience, now, let us adjourn until next month."

 _In the second round it could be the girl from the Wind,_ I thought with a small frown, looking over at Temari, _or even Shikamaru._ I turned over to him, _but if I move forward then I might have to challenge Sasuke, or...Gaara._ I turned my head over to him, _he took Lee down, if I had to fight him, I don't know if I'd be able to win._  
"Hm." Gaara shifted slightly, he caught me staring. "Eh..." I pretended to cough into my arm, turning my gaze away from him. He watched me, the same plain expression on his face as he stared at me in return.  
"Ah, man." Naruto called out next to me, "Huh?" I looked over to him. "I need to ask Kakashi-sensei for help." Naruto thought out loud, turning on his heel, he ran towards the arena's front doors. "Hey! Naruto! Wait up!" I shouted, running after him. Sakura jumped, _Kakashi-sensei told me not to lose sigh of them!_ She gasped, running down the stairs. "(Y/N)! Naruto!" She shouted after us, trailing behind. Gaara turned around, watching my leaven, Kankuro looked over at him, Temari crossed her arms.  
Shikamaru let out a long sigh, starting to walk towards the door. In a small cloud of sand, Gaara was gone. "Huh?" Temari's eyes widened as Gaara disappeared, "Where..." Temari stopped, looking over at Kankuro. They nodded as they ran out the door. Dosu shook his head as he headed to the exit as well, following behind Temari and Kankuro. Shino decided it was about time to leave, walking back towards the door. Neji kept his head down, slowly turning, he exited lost in his thoughts.  
-

Naruto burst through the hospitals doors, skidding on his heel, he turned towards the receptionists. "Hey! Where's Sasuke's room?" He asked, putting his palms on the desk. The receptionist shook her head, "Sorry, no visitors allowed." She said with a smile, "What?! No visitors?! Are you kidding me?!" Naruto shouted back, "Those are the rules."She said with a shrug, "Gah! Come on lady!" "Naruto." Kakashi called out, walking down the hall. "This is a hospital, keep it down." Kakashi said with a sigh, "Huh? Oh! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, running towards him. Kakashi sighed. "Boy am I glad to see you! I've got to ask you a favor!" Naruto said with a smile, extending his arms out.  
"Stop right there, I already know what you're going to ask." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets.  
"Naruto!" I shouted after him, gasping for breath. "Jee, do you have to run so quickly?" I sighed, looking over at him. "(Y/N), good timing." Kakashi said with a nod, "I was just about to tell Naruto that I've found some one who will oversee you and Naruto's training for the final rounds." Kakashi said with a nod, Naruto gave him a big frown.  
"Hold on! Why can't you train me, sensei?" Naruto shouted up at him, "I have other matters to handle. I don't have time to deal with you, Naruto." Kakashi sighed, I crossed my arms. "Naruto's right, it'd be a lot better if you could train is, Kakashi-sensei." I called out, taking a step closer to him. Kakashi smiled, "I would love to help you train (Y/N), but there are a lot more important things that I have to do." Kakashi explained, patting me on the head. I crossed my arms, _he's making me look like a child._  
"Hey! Aha!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi, "You're going to train Sasuke, aren't you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto growled, squinting his eyes up at him. "What? But Sasuke's so lame, you should train us, Kakashi-sensei!" I said with a smile, Naruto nodded, "Yeah, we're way better than Sasuke!" Naruto backed me up, Kakashi let out a long exasperated sigh.  
"Now, now, don't complain." Kakashi shook his head, "I've found you two an even better teacher than me." Kakashi said with a nod, "Well? Who is it?" Naruto asked impatiently, I turned around as I felt someone new walk into the room.  
"Hm?" I tilted my head.

"It is I."  
Naruto spun around, "Oh, Ebisu-sensei." I said, looking up at him. "You?!" Naruto shouted, pointing up at him "You closet pervert!" Naruto shouted up at him, "Pervert?" I wondered, looking over at Naruto, he nodded his head. I laughed.  
"Such insolence." Ebisu shook his head, pushing his dark shades up the bridge of his nose.

 _To be continued..._


	51. Ebisu Returns, The Toughest Training Yet

"Ha! Closet pervert? What are you talking about, Naruto?" I put my hands on my hips, Kakashi tilted his head. "He's a...what? What did you call him?" Kakashi wondered, looking down at Naruto. Naruto pointed at Ebisu, "You're kidding me! Of all the guy's you could've picked, you chose this guy to train us?! What a joke! He's weaker than me!" Naruto shouted out, "What makes you say that?" Kakashi asked, looking over at Naruto. "Naruto, that's Ebisu-sensei, he's an elite trainer, he couldn't be that bad of a guy to help us," I said, turning to him. "I'm serious! You should've seen him! He saw my Harem jutsu once, and he to pieces!"

"Eh!" Ebisu jumped, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. _Oh no, not that again!_ Ebisu's moth was wide open, his hand starting to shake. Ebisu jumped at Naruto, slapping his hand over Naruto's mouth. I was cracking up, laughing uncontrollably. I wiped a tear away from my eye. Naruto struggled, trying to break free from Ebisu's grasp.  
"Harem jutsu?" Kakashi asked, Ebisu looked up at him. "O-Oh! It's nothing! Just a little joke we shared, hahaha!" Ebisu laughed nervously.  
Ebisu turned his head over to Naruto, "Okay, let's make a little deal. You keep quiet about that, and I'll buy you anything you want to eat. Barbeque, ramen, you name it." Ebisu whispered down at Naruto, "Anything I want?" Naruto thought of the possibilities.  
"Well, well, I never knew you two were so well acquainted." Kakashi said with a small smile, "Haha! Yes, we go way back." Ebisu said through gritted teeth, patting Naruto on the top of the head, Naruto squinted his eyes up at him.  
 _I will always be haunted by that humiliation!_ Ebisu thought, looking up at the ceiling. "I still don't know why it has to be him. I mean, anybody else!" Naruto whined, Ebisu turned on his heel, pointing down at Naruto.  
"Look, if it hadn't been for Kakashi, who asked me this favor, I would have never considered training you and your friend!" Ebisu growled back, Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah? Well, then, don't!" Naruto shot back.  
"Hey, hey, come on." Kakashi walked closer to us, "Come on you two, let's calm down." Kakashi waved his hands, I looked up at him, his hands were on his hips. I turned to Naruto.  
"Hey," I whispered, "Listen, Naruto, you're wrong about Ebisu-sensei. He's a special Jonin, a private tutor who only trains the elite." I explained, Naruto sighed, looking down at his feet. "At least someone recognizes my skills," Ebisu said, crossing his arms. Kakashi turned to Naruto, "Anyway, Naruto, I've got to say that out of the four genin of squad seven, you're the one whose basic skills need the most work. That's what I want you to focus on this time around." Kakashi said with a nod, "Hey! Wait a sec! Are you honestly saying that I'm not as good as Sasuke or (Y/N)? Not even Sakura?!" Naruto shouted back at Kakashi, Kakashi let out a long sigh, tilting his head up.  
"Naruto, no matter how many skills you master, the fundamentals are, well, fundamentals. And yours could be improved." Kakashi explained, Naruto looked up at him with a frown. "So, if you really want to become strong, then just be quiet, and pay attention." Kakashi was starting to get annoyed.

Kakashi turned back to Ebisu, "Alright, Ebisu-sensei, I leave them in your capable hands." Kakashi said with a shrug, turning back down the hall. "I will do what I can." Ebisu said with a nod, "Catch you later, Kakashi-sensei!" I called out to him, he waved to me as he left.  
Naruto growled angrily, looking down at his feet.  
 _I know it seems harsh Naruto, but it's for your own good. You and (Y/N) wouldn't be safe in my hands. Try your best._

Ebisu turned to Naruto, "Well, come on. Let's get started." Naruto kept silent, I turned to him. "Yeah, Naruto, we could learn a thing or two from Ebisu-sensei," I said with a nod,  
"Okayy. But I don't buy it." Naruto answered back, "Huh?" Ebisu looked down at Naruto, "This whole thing is totally nuts! Even if I do need to work on my fundamentals, how the heck am I supposed to get better when I've got a teacher who's weaker at that stuff than I am!" Naruto shouted out, "I beg your pardon, but who do you think you are calling weak?" Ebisu crossed his arms, "Who else do you think is standing in front of me?!" Naruto shouted. "If this is all because of that ridiculous and inappropriate jutsu of yours, it took me by surprise, that's all." Ebisu turned his head away from us. "I wouldn't be too hasty to judge my abilities on just one incident," Ebisu said, putting his hands on his hips.  
"Just because you landed flat on your back and out cold." Naruto squinted his eyes up at Ebisu, "Eh..." Ebisu paused, looking back down at Naruto. "Alright then, let's put it to a test, shall we?" Ebisu said with a smile, "Hmm?" Naruto tilted his head, Ebisu knelt down to Naruto's height.  
"Naruto, try and run away." Ebisu said with a smile, I took a step closer. "Hm?" Naruto tilted his head. "Hey, Ebisu-sensei, can I try as well?" I asked, "Of course, (Y/N)." He said with a nod. "Really?" Naruto crossed his arms, "I mean it. I want you two to try and run as fast as you can." He nodded, "If you can get away from me, I'll resign as your trainer." Ebisu explained with a grin, "Is that a promise?" Naruto asked, "Certainly. And, once more, since I know much you two would prefer Kakashi, I think I can arrange to take over enough of his other duties so that he can do your trainer." Ebisu said with a smile, "Really?!" I asked with a sparkle in my eye, Ebisu nodded as he looked over at me. "Of course. An elite "jonin never goes back on his word." Ebisu said, standing back up.  
"But it's all up to you two being able to outrun me," Ebisu explained, pointing a finger up. "Man, this is the easiest deal I've ever made!" Naruto shouted out, turning on his heel. "So long, sucker! Ha!" Naruto shouted, running down the hallway.  
"Heh, you've really got him going, Ebisu-sensei," I said with a smile, watching Naruto turn the corner, Ebisu looked down at me. "I'm surprised you didn't run away with him," He said, looking down at me. "Oh, no, I know Naruto's going to get caught running like that." I said with a shrug, "I've got a little bit more of a tactic." I explained, hopping on one foot, I started to jump. "Besides, I'm way more faster than he is." I said with a grin. "Hm?" Ebisu raised a brow, in a flash I was down the hallway, "Ha, well, you're certainly faster."  
-

I passed Naruto on my way out, he saw me zoom by in a quick flash, I tapped him on the head as I passed by. "(Y/N)! Get back here!" Naruto shouted, his feathers ruffled. I giggled as I ran, turning the corner, I zoomed down a back alleyway. _I know this village like the palm of my hand, backwards and forwards. Even underground. There's no way Ebisu-sensei could find me._ I thought with a grin, turning another corner. I zoomed through the market, dodging people left and right. _He's probably expecting me to take to the rooftops. It might be faster that way, but it's too obvious, hiding in plain sight would be the best option._  
I cut through the main market, taking a secluded dirt path to the training grounds, from there I was heading for the forest. _There's no way he'll find me in there. It may be a bit much, but there's no way I'm going to lose._ I thought, shaking my head as I ran past the training posts.

Naruto was running down main street laughing, "Ha! A piece of cake! Eat my dust you closet perv!" He shouted out, jumping up to the rooftops, hopping from shop to shop. "I'll send ya a postcard!"  
Naruto hopped up on a tall building, a hand on his hip as he looked down at the streets below. "Ha! Lost him! Looks like that old sourpuss will have to admit that he's dealing with an exceptional ninja!" Naruto nodded, crossing his arms.

"Am I really? Who?" Ebisu called out from behind, "Huh?" Naruto jumped, turning around. "If that's the best you can do, we might as well stop right now and save us some time. I'm still a bit surprised I haven't found your friend (Y/N) yet." Ebisu pushed his glasses up, Naruto gritted his teeth.  
"Yeah? Well not so fast! You just wait, you haven't seen anything yet!" Naruto shouted back, pulling a smoke bomb out of his pocket, he threw in on the ground. Ebisu frowned, _well, Naruto's easy, now I have to find (Y/N). Kakashi did say that they were an exceptional student. I think I'm starting to see what he means._

I was out of breath, leaning against the trunk of a tree, I think I might have pushed myself a bit too hard. I touched the side of my neck, a small frown came to my lips. _The curse mark is still active,_ I thought, watching Kale shift in his sleep. _But even so, it's getting a bit easier to control. Even when I was fighting Mikio, I couldn't control any chakra flow, but the pain was a lot more bearable._ I petted Kale, it was good to have him back, I missed the scaly little cutie.  
"Relaxing already?" A voice called out in the tree above, I snapped my head up. Ebisu was looking down at me, his arms crossed. I shot up to my feet, "I will admit, it was a bit harder to find you than Naruto. It was a good idea heading to the forest, but you won't get this lucky again." Ebisu explained, looking down at me. "Really, Ebisu-sensei. I'm just warming up. If you think this is all that I'm capable of, you're wrong. You're the one that won't get this lucky again!" I shouted back at him, hopping back onto one leg as I dashed deeper into the forest. Ebisu watched me with his hands on his hips.

Now it was Naruto's turn to be out of breath, he sat on the ground, gasping for air, sweat beaded down his forehead. "I've got to admit...he may be a grumpy old stiff, but he's better than I thought." Naruto got up onto his feet, wiping his sweat off onto his sleeve. "I've just got to keep moving-huh?" Naruto paused as he turned around, he looked up at a large billboard in front of him. "Hey, wait a sec. Isn't that the book Kakashi-sensei's been reading?" Naruto wondered, looking up at the orange cover, "Hehehe." Naruto chuckled as a thought crossed him.

Ebisu stood on the top of a building, looking around the village. _This is starting to get a bit more difficult, where could that (Y/N) be? Maybe at the-_ "Huh?" As Ebisu turned around, the billboard snapped him out of his thoughts. "Haaa!" Ebisu grinned, "Eh!" _Control yourself, Ebisu._ He thought, shaking his head as he looked at the billboard.  
 _Hehe! There he goes again, can't keep his eyes off the girls._ Naruto thought, keeping still as he kept the transformation up, lining up with the cartoonish lady on the billboard.  
"Just what do you think you're doing, Naruto?" Ebisu asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Naruto sighed as he turned back into himself, Ebisu gave him a small smile. "It was a good idea, actually, just not good enough," Ebisu said, shaking his head. Naruto let out an agitated growl, "Alright then!" Naruto shouted back, clasping his hands together, "Give this a shot!" Naruto gritted his teeth, "Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto yelled, copies of himself swarmed around the roof.  
"Heh." Ebisu smiled,  
" **Well? What are you waiting for?** " They all shouted in unison, " **Catch us if you can!** " Naruto's flung from every direction, bouncing off of rooftops, running down the streets.  
"Again, not bad. However, you're not the only one who can perform the shadow clone jutsu, my friend."  
-

The next part was a bit harder for me. Naruto's clones bounced every which way, Ebisu's followed. I gritted my teeth as I kept in his shadow, struggling to keep me and my clones from making any noise.  
"You can't get away!" Ebisu called out in front of me, I looked up at him, charging towards Naruto's clones. "Not again!" Naruto shouted, dropping from the roof, some of his clones followed. One Naruto stayed. Three of Ebisu's clones blocked his way. My feet padded softly against the roof's shingles, I clenched my fists as I tried to silence my clones down some, hiding in Ebisu's shadow.  
Naruto turned on his heel, "That does it! I've had enough of you! AH!"  
Naruto ran into a large metal pole, face first. A loud ding echoed as the clone slid down the pole, turning into smoke. Ebisu watched with his hands on his hips, "Alright. That's one down."

 _This was a bad idea,_ I thought with a frown, running in sync with Ebisu. I was starting to get tired, and fast. _I wish I could nap all the time like Kale._  
Ebisu took a sharp turn, jumping off the roof, he dug into his back pocket, pulling out a net. _Hm?_ I tilted my head slightly, he tossed it. "AH!" Naruto clone shouted as he was caught under the net, "That's two down!"

Ebisu pounced on every Naruto he saw, I struggled to keep up. You could hear his shouts echoing around the village. As we passed a wooden fence, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naruto pop out from a wood patterned cloth with a grin, Ebisu turned on his heel, charging towards Naruto.  
"I've got you now!" Ebisu shouted, his fists raised. "Ah!" Naruto shouted, going up in a puff of smoke.

"Where do you think you're going?" "Ha! Got you!" "Hold it right there!" "No, you don't!" "I don't think so!" "Take that!" Ebisu's voice echoed around, I couldn't keep track of all of his clones, bouncing left and right. "Gnnnnn..." I groaned, starting to get dizzy.  
-

Naruto was out of breath, his body over the railing of a bridge, a small stream below him glimmered in the sun.  
"Well, had enough?" Ebisu called out from behind.  
"AH!" Naruto screamed, losing his balance, he flipped over the railing, landing with a loud splash into the stream. Ebisu jumped onto the railing Naruto was once on, Naruto gritted his teeth, looking up at him.  
"Man! You're a real pain, y'know that?" Naruto shouted up at him. Ebisu put a hand on his hip. "Why can't you just go away and leave me alone?!" Naruto clenched his fists, "It wouldn't be much of a chase if I did that. I'm supposed to be trying to catch you, remember?" Ebisu raised his brow, Naruto tilted his head.  
 _Oh come on Naruto, don't tell me you forgot._ I mentally faced palmed. "Oh...yeah..." Naruto mumbled. Ebisu grinned, "So, Naruto, I hope you have a better opinion of my abilities now." Ebisu called out, "If you've had enough, then let's-" "Yeah right, stick it in your ear!" Naruto shouted back, getting back up to his feet, his back soaked.  
"I'm still going to get rid of you somehow! Kakashi-sensei is the only one I'll let train me." Naruto paused, looking Ebisu in the eye, "Either he trains me or no one does!"  
"Heh. I see the river hasn't cooled off your spirit." Ebisu said with a grin, Naruto growled angrily. He jumped up into the air, his fists raised.  
 _Look at him, he's turned the tables._ Ebisu watched Naruto fly towards him, _instead of trying to escape, he's coming right at me. Well, Kakashi always said he was an unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja._  
"Time I gave you some training!" Naruto shouted as he flew down towards Ebisu, "Huh?" I gasped as Ebisu disappeared in front of me, Naruto came flying down. "(Y/N)?!" He shouted as he came crashing into me, |  
"AHH!" I screamed as the both of us went tumbling down into the river, Naruto landed on top of me. Kale hissed loudly, being wakened by the water.  
"Get off!" I shouted, pushing Naruto away, I scooped Kale up into my hands. Ebisu landed back on the railing, looking down at us with his hands on his hips. He grinned, "Two for the price of one." He said, pushing his glasses up.

"Sorry, but this game is over."

"One plain miso ramen, one miso ramen with barbeque pork, and one special!" Ayame said with a smile, placing the three bowls down in front of us. Naruto dug in as soon as she placed it down, I picked up my chopsticks, swirling the broth around with a smile. Kale circled around the warm bowl, I fed some to him as we ate.  
"Now, having a chance to observe you two's techniques," Ebisu paused looking over at us, "And then going off of what Kakashi has told me, it appears to me that, Naruto, your weakest strength is Chakra control," Ebisu called out, Naruto turned his head over to him. "Chakra control?" Naruto wondered with his mouth full, "And I'd say (Y/N), your weakest point is stamina." Ebisu said with a nod, I turned my head over to him. "When we compare your abilities with your teammates, Sakura and Sasuke, your deficiencies become obvious, Naruto," Ebisu said with a nod, Naruto gave a small growl, I turned my head back to the bowl. "As you two may know, in order to successively perform Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and the like, a ninja must first build up their chakra," Ebisu said, looking down at his bowl.  
"Yeah, like you said, I already know that!" Naruto called back, "Yeah, I know my stamina needs work." I said, crossing my arms, _keeping this curse mark in check takes most of my strength._

"I would hope so," Ebisu said, pulling his chopsticks down. "Well then, let's compare you to your teammates in this department. And maybe then you'll just begin to see how inferior your abilities are." Ebisu said with a nod, "You've got an annoying way of putting things." Naruto grunted.

"As agreed, I'm buying you two lunch, so just be quiet and listen!" Ebisu answered back, crossing his arms.

"First, let's examine how Sakura prepares for a clone jutsu. She's perfect at building up her chakra to its full extent, and because she's so efficient, she can make clones without wasting any excess energy." Ebisu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Now, (Y/N), it must be said that they are not as nearly efficient when it comes to building up a full supply of chakra. But, you see, their control over the chakra it's self is so flawless, that they have no problem producing five clones as easily as Sakura can." Ebisu said with a nod, I looked over to him. "So, the result is the same, even if you do waste more chakra (Y/N). But the problem is that both Naruto and Sakura can keep and maintain their clones at a longer amount of time than you can, you waste more chakra that way." Ebisu said, looking back down at his bowl, I nodded. "Heh, look's like I better at you at something." Naruto laughed, looking over at me.  
"Wipe that smile off of your face, you're in no position making fun of someone else," Ebisu answered back, Naruto tilted his head. "Why?" He asked,  
"You're no good at building up your chakra or controlling it, not even mentioning to keep it together. The result is you require much more chakra, Naruto, to produce any clones. You have to exert much more effort, and even then, after all that effort, you're wasting much more chakra than either Sakura or (Y/N). You can barely produce two clones at best. In fact, using the same amount of chakra you use, Sakura and (Y/N) could come up with ten clones. "  
Naruto placed down his empty ramen bowl with a frown, Kale finished my leftovers.  
"You see how the three of you have many different levels of ability, just on this one jutsu." Ebisu took a sip of water, Naruto hung his head down. Ebisu turned his head over to Naruto, giving him a small smile.  
"Well, I may have exaggerated a bit on my comparison. But the bottom line is, you two use too much chakra. You need to learn some control, that's all." Ebisu gave a small shrug,  
"Yeah? Well, if I'm such a lameo, then how come sometimes I've done better than they both have?!" Naruto shouted back, Ebisu lost his smile. "That's not the same thing! That's only because you have reserves of energy and stamina that are hardly even human!" Ebisu shot back,

Naruto kept silent, his eyes widening slightly. Ebisu looked down, his eyes closed, _after all, how can I expect him to have control when he has the nine-tails spirit sealed within him._  
Naruto looked down at the counter, I turned to him with a small frown. Ebisu let out a long sigh, standing up from his stole.  
"The point is that you both could be super strong if you would let me show you how," Ebisu called out, flashing us a smile. "Really? You mean it?" Naruto looked up at him, "Yeah, you can help us out Ebisu-sensei?" I smiled, clenching my fists excitedly.  
"I not only mean it, I guarantee it! Now, if you're ready, let's begin." He said, turning towards the exit.  
"Sir?" Teuchi called out, Ebisu stopped. "Your bill, sir?" He asked,  
"Oh, I almost forgot-EH?!" Ebisu was speechless as he saw the large tower of empty ramen bowls. Teuchi and Ayame chuckled menacingly.  
"You two!" Ebisu seethed, looking down at us.  
"Thank you! Come again!" Ayame said with a giggle.  
-

"Hm, I'm not too sure about this, Ebisu-sensei," I said, shaking my head. "I saved an entire section for us, there's no turning back now," Ebisu said, shaking his head.  
"Okay, would you mind explaining why you dragged us up here to these hot springs? Is a bath part of my training?" Naruto growled, continuing to walk down the path. Ebisu paused, I stopped behind him. Naruto continued to walk down the path, "Not that I wouldn't mind soaking my feet after that huge-"  
" **Naruto!** " Ebisu shouted out, Naruto jumped, turning his head around. Ebisu pointed an accusing finger towards him,  
"Where do you think you're going? That's the woman's bath! I will not allow any disreputable behavior!" Ebisu shouted down at him, Naruto squinted his eyes up at Ebisu.  
 _Disreputable behavior? What's he talking about?_ Naruto eyed him, _like I was trying to sneak a peek? Heh. From what I know about him, he's the real pervert around here._ Naruto thought, walking closer to Ebisu, I shook my head. _Ebisu-sensei must be off his rocker,_ I thought with a smile.  
"What is it? What is that look?" Ebisu asked, looking down at Naruto with his hands on his hips. "Oh, nothing, nothing." Naruto shook his head, "Anyway, what in the world are we doing here? Are you going to train me how to wash behind my ears?" Naruto growled, Ebisu tapped the sides of his glasses.  
"Not quite. But you're right, this is a part of your training." Naruto tilted his head to the side, "Hm?"

"Here's the place," Ebisu said, stopping in the middle platform. The waterfall rushed in the background, I smiled as I looked out at the steaming water.  
"A bath? Come on, what's going on?" Naruto crossed his arms, "Don't take that tone with me, it's part of your training!"  
Naruto shook his head.  
"Okay, I'm also confused about why we're here, Ebisu-sensei. I mean, the scenery is nice, but I don't see how this can help us." I asked, looking up at him, I crossed my arms. "Yeah, maybe you ought to take it from the top. What are we even training for again?" Naruto asked, his arms crossed.  
"Hmph. I'm going to teach you two how to walk," Ebisu paused, "On water."  
 _Like Jesus._ I thought with a nod.  
"Huh?" Naruto wondered, crossing his arms, he squinted his eyes up at him. "What is is now?" Ebisu asked, looking down at him. "Do you seriously expect me to believe," Naruto paused, eyeing him up and down, "That you really know how to walk on water?"  
" **Of course I do!** " Ebisu shouted, Naruto slapped his hands over his ears, I smiled.  
"Ahem!" Ebisu cleared his throat, "According to what Kakashi told me, you've already begun training how to climb a tree without using your hands, right? This is a variation of that."  
"Hmmm." Naruto put his hands on his hips, "I don't know, that was a long time ago. I'm not so good at remembering stuff that so far back." Naruto said, crossing his arms. I sighed, facepalming.  
"You don't remember going to the Land of the Waves?" I crossed my arms, Ebisu nodded.  
"In tree climbing, the key is to build up chakra in the points of contact, and then to maintain it at a steady rate of discharge," Ebisu explained, Naruto looked up at him confused.  
"Of course, tree's are stationary objects, so the discharge rate remains constant." Ebisu nodded, "Hmm?" Naruto tilted his head, Ebisu turned to him.  
"All the same, it's an excellent exercise for developing basic chakra control. Now, to walk on water, you not only have to build up chakra at the points of contact, you must also constantly adjust your rate of discharge to maintain your balance on the waters shifting surface."

"Mhm." Naruto nodded, not understanding a word Ebisu was saying.  
"This is obviously more difficult than just remaining a fixed flow of chakra." Ebisu pointed a finger up, "But that's what chakra control is all about. It's being able to discharge it at a steady pace. You understand."  
"Hmmm...no." Naruto shook his head,  
"Hey, Ebisu-sensei, like this?" I called out,

"Hm? Ah!" He gasped, clasping his hands together, I stood on top of the bath, bobbing with the water.  
"Perfect, (Y/N)!" Ebisu said, clapping his hands. "Cool!" Naruto shouted out, rushing to the edge of the water. "Okay! Okay! Let me give it a try now!" Naruto shouted, clasping his hands together in a sign.  
He felt chakra rush to the soles of his feet, "Okay...and the..." Naruto put his foot out onto the water, instantly falling in.  
"Ah! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Naruto shouted, splashing around, Ebisu smiled.  
"Oh, and by the way, don't forget it's a hot spring. You don't want to keep falling in like that." Ebisu chuckled, Naruto climbed back up to the rock platform, completely soaked. "You'll be boiled like a lobster."  
"Very funny." Naruto pouted, shaking the hot water off.  
"Come on, Naruto. It's easy. If I can do it, I'm sure you can." I said, waving to him in the middle of the pool.  
Naruto kept on charging his chakra, again, again, and again, all falling into the pool.  
"Ah!" He shouted, shaking the water off. "Come on, Naruto. It's easy." I said, walking closer to him. "Charge the chakra at the bottom of your feet, and then balance," I explained, watching him put his foot out on the water. "Yeah! Like that! See, you're starting to get it."  
 _It's incredible._ Ebisu thought, watching Naruto's feet sink into the water. _(Y/N) has already mastered it like that, there's no doubt that they will be a great ninja. Naruto thought..._ Ebisu smiled,  
"Hey! I think I'm starting to get it!" Naruto shouted, waving his hands around.  
 _He's got a long way to go before he can catch up to (Y/N)._

"Hey..." I mumbled, "Who's that over there?" I called out, pointing to the side of the baths.  
"Hehehehehe..." An old man chuckled as he sat at the edge of the bath, "Hm?" Ebisu looked over to the side. "Hmph." Ebisu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose,  
"Are you peeking into the woman's bath, old man?" Ebisu called out, turning on his heel, he dashed towards him.  
"I will not allow any disreputable behavior!"  
"Hm?" The old man turned his head around, jumping up to his feet. "Oh, please!" He shouted back, making a quick hand sign, a large toad appeared under his feet.  
"What?!" I gasped out, not believing my eyes. The toad's tongue shot out from its mouth, wrapping it around Ebisu. "What! What are you doing!?" Ebisu shouted out, struggling against the toads grasp.  
The toad flung Ebisu up into the air, throwing him down hard onto the stone platform. Ebisu landed with a loud thud, I gasped. "What's wrong with you? Keep it down. Do you want to get us busted, you idiot?" The old man looked down at Ebisu, Naruto and me were staring at him.  
"W-Who is this guy? He just flattened our trainer!" Naruto gasped out in shock, "And what's worse, he's an even bigger perv than Ebisu-sensei!" I continued on in shock.  
"Hehehehe." The old man chuckled, looking down at us with a smile.

 _To be continued..._


	52. Long Time No See, Jiraiya Returns!

Ebisu laid sprawn out on the ground, I stepped over to him, Naruto close to my side. "Hey, Ebisu-sensei, you awake?" I asked, poking him in the side of the face.  
"Well, only one way to find out for sure," Naruto said, crouching down, he clasped his hands together, poking two fingers out. "Hm?" I looked over at him. "Hidden finger jutsu." Naruto called out, "Wha-" I froze, watching Naruto jab Ebisu in the butt. "A thousand years of death!"  
I shook my head, standing back up. "Man, he's totally out of it. Some trainer, he's pathetic." Naruto said, crossing his arms. I turned my head over to the old man, I pointed at him.  
"Okay frogman! What was that all about? Who do you think you are?" I shouted out to him, the toad drew it's tongue back in. "I'm glad you asked!" The old man shouted back, flinging his head back, his long white hair floated in the wind.  
"I am the hermit of mount Myoboku," The old man began, raising his palm to the sky, the toad did as well. "The wise and immortal spirit, that's right, it is I! The Toad Mountain Sage!"  
He shouted back at us, "Toad sage?" I wondered, tilting my head. "Exactly." He answered back, jumping off of the giant toad, it disappeared in a cloud of smoke.  
"Well, listen, you pervy sage! What are you gonna do about this?!" Naruto shouted back at him, "This guy is supposed to be training us, and you laid him out flatter than a bath mat!" Naruto shouted, looking down at Ebisu, I laughed. "Yeah, and after that whole thing of him trying to say he's powerful." I shook my head, looking back at the old man.  
"Well, he shouldn't of interfered with my research." The sage answered back, I raised my brow. "Your research?" I wondered, he smiled.  
"You see, I'm a novelist." The old man replied with a smile, reaching into his robe, "I am a writer of great books. Like," He said, pulling out a flash orange novel, "Like this!"  
He pulled out a copy of Make Out Paradise, I tilted my head. "Oh, yeah, Kakashi-sensei reads that." I said with a nod, "Huh? What! You wrote that!" Naruto shouted out, his eyes wide as he pointed at the book.  
"Yes! I see you know it!" The old man smiled excitedly, chuckling to himself, _I'm famous and it's not even on paperback yet!_  
"You call that pervy trash a novel?! Research, yeah right! That's just an excuse for you to peek at girls in the bathhouse!" Naruto shouted back, screams erupted from the next room, a stampede of girls went running out of the bathhouse,  
"AHHHH!" The old man cried out, "Look at what you've done!" He cried out, "You've ruined my peeking-I-I mean my research!" He cried,  
"Dirty old man." I scoffed, crossing my arms. He took a step closer to us, his fists raised. "You little-! There's nothing 'dirty' about it!" The old man shouted down at me, "I just so happen to be a serious artist who is inspired by youth and beauty! That's all and-!" He paused, looking down at me, "Huh?" I tilted my head.  
Naruto scoffed, "Yeah, like anyone believes that, who care's anyway? What about my training?" Naruto shouted, the old man was staring down at me. "What do you want, old man?" I shouted back up at him, he put a hand on his chin. "Hm." He crossed his arms, "Well, what about our training?" Naruto shouted at him,  
"Your training? You mean the walking on water technique you were struggling with?" He asked, Naruto nodded. "You can do it?" Naruto asked, "Okay! Then it's up to you to teach it to me! You at least owe me that!" Naruto shouted, pointing up at him.  
"Hmph, stop bothering me kid, I'm busy." He said, pushing Naruto out of the way, he turned to me. "Something about you looks familiar," The old man began, "Hm?" I tilted my head, "What's your name?" He asked,  
"Oh, it's-"  
"Hey! Wait! Pervy sage! Where's your sense of responsibility?!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the old mans arm, he shook him off, turning away from us.  
"Not on your life! I can't work with someone who has no respect for a true artist!" Pervy sage shouted back, pointing down at Naruto. "And I don't like kids."  
"Gnnnnn! Well, uh, actually I thought your book was uh, really well written! And, uh, interesting! And informative!" Naruto gave a fake smile, "Liar!" Pervy sage shouted back, "The purchase and rating of the book are prohibited for anyone under the age of eighteen." He said, putting his hands on his hips.  
"Oh, yeah, but the reviews I read were great!" Naruto answered back, "Do you really think that's going to work on me? What do you take me for, an idiot? I'm a god damn sage! Save your breath kid, you can't butter me up." He shook his head, jumping back onto the platform railing.  
He clasped his hands together, a strong wind started to form around him, Naruto ran closer.  
"Okay! You're right! Sorry! But wait-ah!" Naruto shouted as the winds picked up, blowing him back. I threw my arms over my face, struggling to move closer, "Pervy sage!" I shouted back,  
"Ha!" He laughed, jumping up onto the bathhouses ceiling, "So long and good luck!" He shouted at us before jumping away, Naruto stood there with his mouth wide open.  
"That was cool!" Naruto gasped, "Yeah!" I laughed, looking over at him with the same amazed expression. "I don't care if he is a dirty old pervert, that guy's the real deal!" I shouted, racing towards the direction he jumped off too. "Yeah! Awesome!" Naruto called out behind me, following.  
We left Ebisu knocked out in the bathhouse.

Main street was buzzing during the time I and Naruto headed out of the bathhouse, it was midday and people were all around the village.  
"Hey! Pervy sage! Where are you?" I shouted out, running around with Naruto at my side. I slowed down when we got into the center of the market. "Where'd he disappear to?" Naruto wondered with a sigh, looking around.  
"AHH!" A shrill scream erupted, "Huh?" I called out, turning my head over to the restaurant's door, Naruto's eyes were wide.  
"No! No! Wait-guh!" The pervy sage called out, the woman slapped him across the face. "Oooh~!" He called out as he fell backwards with a chuckle, "What do you think you're doing, you disgusting old man!" She shouted, running out of the restaurants front door. He followed close behind.  
"I'm sorry but you have such a beautiful pair of soft and lovely-er-hands!" She turned back to him, "You really do have beautiful hands, how do you keep them so soft?" He asked with a chuckle, "Filthy beast!" She shouted back, Naruto cringed as another loud slap rang in his ears. I shook my head.  
He held the side of his face, "So much for soft hands, oof." He said with a sigh.  
"What was I thinking?" I crossed my arms, "This guy is really pathetic, he's even pervier than our last trainer." I sighed, Naruto nodded his head, "But it's not like we have much of a choice." He said, "Yeah, unfortunately."  
We walked over to him.  
"Hmm. Looks like the women in this town are no friendlier than before. But still, I like em feisty, hehehe." He chuckled, I crossed my arms. "So, you've been here before?" I called out, "Huh?" He turned around to me and Naruto. "You two again." He said, putting a hand on his hip.  
"I'm surprised they don't make you wear a leash!" Naruto shouted up at him, his fists clenched, the old man's mouth opened, "Yeah, you old pervert!" I said, pointing an accusing finger up at him. He looked around nervously, waving his hands at us, "Shhhh! You know, I really wish you wouldn't use the word 'pervert'!"  
"Oh yeah?!" I shouted back at him, fed up. "Well, how do you like the word joke?! Because that's all that you are mister! A joke!" I seether, Naruto's eyes widened as he watched me go off.  
"First I get stuck with a closet perv and now! Gah! Why can't I get a trainer that-HEY!" I shouted, the old man picked me up by the back of my shirt, hoisting me up into the air, I wiggled around.  
"Let's go." He sighed, "Hey! Put (Y/N) down!" Naruto shouted back at him, the old man threw Naruto over his shoulder. "LET ME DOWN!" I screamed, "Put a lid on it, will ya?" He shouted back, I wiggled around in the air, Kale hissed loudly. He walked us over to a pot, "HEY!"  
He threw me and Naruto down inside the empty pot, slapping the lid on closed. Kale hissed loudly, throwing a tantrum. "There you go! You can train in there for a while! Hahaha!" He shouted, walking away.

"HEY! Naruto, get off!" I screamed, pushing his head off of my chest, "Make some room!" He shouted back, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I yelled, kicking the side of the pot.  
-

Jiraiya took a small puff from his pipe, leaning against the root of a tree, looking up at the sky. "Ah, what I'd give for just a few minutes with a young pretty girl." He sighed, looking up at the sky.  
"Hm?" He turned his head, a hand full of shuriken flew his way. "AH!" He shouted, jumping up, he rolled over the tree root, onto the other side.  
"You can't get rid of me that easily!" Naruto shouted, landing on the ground, he jumped onto the tree branch. "Huh?" He mumbled, a doll stared back up at him. "Well, what do ya know. A substitution!" Naruto said, clenching his fists, he turned on his heel, running the other way.  
The doll went up in a puff of smoke, the pervy sage let out a long sigh. "That was close..." He said, leaning back. "Heh. Little squirt, you've got to be a lot smarter than that to outdo the Toad mountain sage." He chuckled,  
"Yeah? How am I doing?" I called out, "GAH!" He jumped, snapping his head over to me, I leaned on the other side of the tree root.  
"NARUTO FOUND HIM!" I shouted, watching Naruto charge back towards us.  
-

"Okay," He mumbled, looking over at me, "I'll admit, you're not totally without talent." He said, crossing his arms. "So, does that mean you'll help us with our training?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. Naruto looked over at him with a smile, "Not so fast, squirts." He called out, looking at both of us.  
"It's a question of quid pro quo." He said with a nod, "I don't do Latin." I grunted, my arms crossed. The sage sighed, "I mean, I'll give you what you two want, but in return, you'll have to try and get me what I want." He explained, standing up. Both I and Naruto looked up at him. "So, what do you want?" Naruto asked.  
"Hehehe, you must know by now." He chuckled, raising his hands, he drew in the air. "I like em ripe and luscious with curves like this, see?" He grinned, "And big, but not too big," He said, motioning towards his chest, "Know what I mean? If you two can bring me something like that, I'll train you till the cows come home!" He laughed,  
"You will? No lie?" Naruto asked, standing up, I stood up with him.  
"The Toad Mountain Sage doesn't lie!"  
"You've got it! Wait here!" I shouted, turning on my heel, I ran down the path, Naruto followed close behind.

"Hm?" Jiraiya turned his head, two girls were walking down the path in front of him, his eyes widened, a silly grin coming to his face, he chuckled. "Too bad kids, it's not like we had a contract, really." He laughed, turning to the girls. "Oh, ladies, can you show me the way to town? Haha!" He said, chasing after them.

"Then I said, 'Not with my rice bowl, you don't' Hahahahahah!" Jiraiya chuckled, he was the only one laughing. A bored expression crossed the girls face, "Oh, wow, such a funny story." She yawned, he turned to her, "Hey, hey, it's funny yes, but it's not just a story. Every word of it is true." He said with a nod, "Really? What happened next?" She asked in the same monotonous voice.  
"Hey! Pervy Sage! We're back!" I shouted out, "What? Did they just call you pervy?" She giggled, the only laughter she had in Jiraiya's presence. He raised his fist.  
"Worthless little runt!" He seethed, me and Naruto came running into the room. "I told you not to call me that!"  
"Look what we've got!" Naruto called out, the two of us were holding onto a large, curvy, watermelon.  
"Just the way you like em!" I said with a nod, "A ripe and luscious one with curves!"  
We placed it down on the table.  
"That's not what I meant you, morons!" He shouted, angrily slashing away at the melon, I took a large piece.  
"Dig in. We might as well not let it all go to waste." He said with a sigh, I was stuffing watermelon into my face. "Hm?" Ebisu gasped as he turned the corner, he jumped back into the ally way.  
"Huh?" Jiraiya looked to the side, "The ladies! What happened to the ladies?" He cried, Ebisu watched us carefully, hiding behind a wall.  
Naruto let out a loud burp, we had finished off the entire melon. I leaned back with a sticky smile on my face. "Man, that was the best," Naruto said with a sigh, rubbing his stomach. "Yeah, delicious." I agreed, Jiraiya looked down at the table with a frown. "Stuck out again..." He whined.  
Ebisu fixed his glasses, _no doubt about it. It has to be..._  
He got up from the bench, walking out onto the street with a sigh. "Now, I must be off, I've wasted too much time already." He said, shaking his head. Naruto shot up from the bench, running towards him, I followed close behind. "Hey! What are you talking about? Where are you going? You're supposed to be training us! We had a deal!" Naruto shouted, waving his arms in the air.  
"I don't give a flying fish for your training! I have my research to conduct!" He shouted down at us, "Research my butt! It's not like I don't have any better things to do than to hang around with a pervy old coot like you. I've got to train til I'm stronger than anyone because I'm going to pass the chunin exams! And then someday, I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto shouted up at him.  
Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly, he paused, looking down at Naruto.  
"Heh. That's a good one. Tell me, did you fall on your head when you were a baby? Is that what makes you this way? Now I know you're wasting my time!" He shouted back down at Naruto, "Look, that's enough! I need to get on with my research! And for that, I need a lovely lady, no fruits, no vegetables, but a lady!"

"A lady? Oh, if that's what you wanted, why didn't you just say so." Naruto called out, turning his head over to me. "You ready, (Y/N)?" He asked with a smile, I gave him a small nod. "I've been perfecting it just for the occasion." I grinned, cracking my knuckled.  
I shot a hand out to the side, Naruto laced his fingers with mine, we each held on a one-handed seal. "No problem."

The two of us went up in smoke, I gave a fake girly smile.  
Naruto and I pressed our chests together, I let out a high pitched giggle. Clouds moved around us, covering here and there. Jiraiya's jaw dropped to the floor.  
"Gah!" Ebisu fell back, blood spraying from his nose. I arched my back, both I and Naruto performed the sexy jutsu flawlessly. "Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h!" Jiraiya couldn't believe his eyes, his hands flopping around.  
Naruto and I locked hands, "Hehe~" Naruto giggled, "If you keep staring, I'm going to blush." Naruto strained his voice to be more high pitched, Jiraiya completely fell for it.  
"So...so...lovely..." He gasped, "We've got a winner! Both of them, perfect ten!" Jiraiya chuckled, I let out a small sigh, _ugh, pathetic._  
"They're just," He zoomed around us, his face turning red, "They're just my type, I really really like her! How did you two do it?! Where on earth did they come from?" He gasped out.  
Naruto touched his bottom lip, "Oh, it's no biggie. I call it my sexy jutsu." Naruto giggled, "Yeah," I began, leaning a little farther back, "It's easy when you get the hang of it." My voice was high pitched and soft, I let out a small giggle, keeping up the act.  
"Yeah! I love it! You're a genius kid! This is one amazing technique!" Jiraiya laughed, pointing at us. _Yeah, it seems to have that effect on a lot of older guys._ I thought with a small sigh, putting my hands on my hips.  
"So, you'll help us with our training, right?" I called out, clasping my hands together with a smile, I took a step closer. "You bet! But only one condition..." Jiraiya paused with a grin, "Huh?" I tilted my head to the side, I put a finger on my bottom lip.  
"O-One condition? What is it?" I asked, curiously peeking my head up. "Hahahah..." A line of blood ran down from his nose, he spun around on his heel, his back facing me. He chuckled, a large grin on his face. _How much longer do I have to keep this stupid thing up?_ I thought, gritting my teeth.  
Jiraiya tapped his fingers together, slowly turning his head back around. "I'll do it if you promise..." He paused,  
"If you promise to stay like that the whole time."

"Gnnnnn!" I growled angrily, in a puff of smoke I turned back to my fully clothed self, pointing an accusing finger at him.  
"I was right! You are pathetic!" I shouted, Jiraiya turned around, his mouth wide. Naruto crossed his arms, turning back into himself as well.  
"You're nothing but a lousy little pervert!" I said through gritted teeth,  
"I am not a little pervert!" He shouted back, his hands on his hips, "Oh yeah?" I crossed my arms, "Then tell me, what are you?"  
Jiraiya looked up at the sky, heaving a loud laugh, he raised his hands up.  
"I'm a big one."  
"Oh...great. That makes all the difference."  
-

The river was calming, I smiled as I sat down next to it, Naruto was close by my side. Jiraiya sat with his arms crossed, looking out to the water.  
"Okay, we'll just pretend none of that happened," Jiraiya mumbled, shaking his head. "Now, let's begin your training." He called out, "And you mean it this time?" Naruto asked, turning his head over to him,  
"A sage always means what he says." He said, giving us a nod. "Now, go ahead and show me that technique the two of you were working on before."  
"Okay." I gave a small sigh, "You ready, Naruto?" I asked, he nodded, standing up next to me. "Do you want me to walk you through it this time?" I asked, Naruto shook his head. "No, I can do it now, I think." He answered back, I watched him walk up to the edge of the river, I followed behind.  
"Here goes nothing," Naruto mumbled, clasping his hands together, they locked into a hand sign. He closed his eyes as he focused his chakra down to his feet, Naruto stepped out onto the water.  
"Gnnn-ah-eee!" He wobbled as he walked out onto it, I walked behind him, "Hey, you've got it." I nodded, walking calmly out onto it with a nod, my hands on my hips.  
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened as he saw his foot sink into the water, he started to fall back. "AH!" I shouted as he fell back into me, knocking me off balance. The two of us went splashing into the water.  
"Hahahaha!" Jiraiya laughed, cracking up. Kale was the first to bounce up, slithering out to the ground. "A snake?" Jiraiya's eyes widened, Kale shook the water off of his tale. I shot up from the lake, soaking wet, Naruto behind me.  
"Not again..."Naruto mumbled,  
"Heh. You really do need help, don't you?" Jiraiya laughed, I put my hands out for him to crawl back into, he shook his head, laying down on the dry grass. Jiraiya looked over at me suspiciously.  
"I should know by now to take my clothes off first," Naruto said with a sigh, throwing his orange jumper down on the ground. "Yeah, I'm completely soaked now, thanks to you," I mumbled, eyeing Naruto. I threw my outfit onto the ground as well, leaving on my underwear and a blank tank top I kept under.  
"Hey, go on and build your chakra up one more time." He said, looking up at us. "Can't I dry off first?" Naruto whined, "Now. Do it." Jiraiya crossed his arms, Naruto clasped his hands together. I gave out a small sigh, making a quick hand sign. I was starting to get used to the curse mark, pushing it back as I drew chakra to my feet.  
"Hmm." Jiraiya mumbled, his eyes wandered to my neck. A frown on his face, "Interesting." He called out, "Huh?" I looked over at him, "What?" I tilted my head, Jiraiya paused for a second.  
"Y'know, you have quite a tight sexy little body."  
"Gah!" I jumped back, "What the-?! Do you mind old man?! I'm trying to concentrate here!" I growled back at him,  
"Oh, sorry about that, please go right ahead." He chuckled, I gritted my teeth, "Jerk." I whispered, closing my eyes once again.  
 _That explains the snake,_ Jiraiya thought with a small sigh, he then turned to Naruto, his eyes widening slightly, he scooted a bit closer. Naruto's seal popped out from his skin, forming on his stomach. Jiraiya eyed it carefully. _So, this is the formula used to imprison the nine tails. A double tetragram seal with an eight signed seal, hmm, that way if any of the demons chakra escapes the tetragram, it'll be safely channeled into and suppressed by the boys own chakra. The fourth Hokage, he did this for the boys own protection._ Jiraiya squinted his eyes down at it, _but since then, a five-prong seal has been added. An odd numbered seal on top of an even numbered? Hmm, that explains it. That's why the boys chakra and the demons are merging at an unsteady rate. It's no wonder he can't control his chakra very well._ Jiraiya reached out to touch Naruto stomach.  
"Hehehehe!" Naruto giggled, "Hm?" I looked over at him, "C-Cut it out!" Naruto shouted down at Jiraiya, "What are ya doing? It tickles!"  
"So, sorry about that," Jiraiya said with a grin, standing back up. _This is the work of someone else, the formula is crude._ Jiraiya looked back at my neck, _that curse mark and the odd seal, looks like Orochimaru has touched them both already. This isn't good. So, that's what Kakashi was telling me about._  
Jiraiya cracked his knuckles, he put his hands behind his back. Chakra came out of the tips of his fingers, he smiled down at us.  
"Okay, Naruto, raise your arms up high over your head. (Y/N), bend your neck over to the left." He called out, snapping us out of concentration.  
"What? Why?" I called out, raising my brow.  
"It's a trust exercise, come on." He said with a nod, Naruto put his arms up into the air, _well, this is a weird way to get started._ Naruto thought, looking up at Jiraiya, _what's this old coot on? A trust exercise by bending your neck?_ I wondered with a frown.  
Jiraiya took a step closer to us, "Release!" He shouted out, "Huh?" My eyes widened as I watched his hand come closer to the side of my neck. Naruto shouted as he was flung backwards, I felt his fingers dig into the side of my neck. My legs wobbled as I fell down on my knee, clasping the curse mark.  
I gritted my teeth,  
"W-What the heck was that for?!" I shouted up at him, "What? Just pushing a pressure point to loosen you guys up." He said with a nod, "Now," He began, pointing to the river, "Go on, try walking on it again."  
"Sheesh," I mumbled, rubbing the side of my neck as I turned to the river, Naruto groaned, holding his stomach as he stood. "Huh?" I gasped as I stepped out, I walked onto it like the ground, not worrying about a thing.  
"Wow." I mouthed, my neck stopped hurting.  
"Awesome!" Naruto laughed, walking on the water, he started to jump around. I watched him with my hands on my hips. "Heh! Look at that! I'm doin it!" He shouted, "Just don't ask me how! Yahoo!"  
"Ha! You dork." I laughed, jumping around with him,  
Jiraiya smiled, _I think it's about time to teach them how to control their chakra._  
"Okay, kids, out of the pool." He shouted, pointing his thumb back at the forest. "I'm going to teach you two something new." He called out, "You are? Really?" My eyes widened, Naruto turned around on his heel. "Like something really powerful and destructive?" Naruto asked,  
The two of us rushed to the river bed, running towards Jiraiya.

I sat on a log next to Naruto, Kale curled up on my lap, one eye open as he slept. I stroked his back softly, smiling as I started to dry off. Naruto yawned, leaning next to me, he looked down at Kale.  
"Now," Jiraiya began, calling our attention. "Now, kids, there's something we need to go over." He began, pointing at Naruto. "I don't think you're even aware of it, but you possess two chakra's within you." He said, looking over at Naruto, Naruto's eyes widened. "Huh? Two chakras?" Naruto tilted his head,  
"Haven't you ever felt the presence of a different chakra?" Jiraiya asked, "Hmmm..." Naruto tapped his chin, looking up at the sky. The sun was starting to set. _Two chakras,_ I wondered, looking over at him, _it's that fox thing inside of him, isn't it?_ I wondered.  
Naruto crossed his arms. "Well, I'm not sure. Hmm..." Naruto paused, "Oh, wait! I do, kind of remember. There was this one time, it was, like, all of a sudden, I had this weird power, and I didn't know where it came from." Naruto said, remembering back. He looked down at his lap, "I don't remember when it was either, I almost thought it was a dream."  
"So I see." Jiraiya listened with a nod, "But I do remember that it was something...different. Well, my normal chakra, if it was colour, it'd be blue. But this...this was red."  
Jiraiya looked up at the sky with a smile, sakura blossoms fell from the tree above us. One landed on my head, but I didn't notice it.  
"I see." Jiraiya nodded, he turned his head over to me. "What?" I mumbled, Kale stirred uneasily. "I wonder, why do you carry that snake around?" He asked, I shrugged. "Well, he's my friend, more like a brother to me." I smiled, petting his little head, "Besides, he wouldn't stay at home even if I told him to. He'd follow me all around the village." I explained, Kale licked my finger. "And isn't he just the cutest?" I smiled, rubbing him against my cheek.  
"You have some odd opinions over what's cute," Naruto called out, crossing his arms. Jiraiya chuckled, standing up from the log.  
"Okay, that's enough training for today." He called out, turning down the dirt path. "What?! Already?!" Naruto shouted, jumping up from the seat. I got up with him, Naruto jumped around Jiraiya.  
"What about that technique? Come on! I'm just getting started! Let's go!" Naruto shouted up at him excitedly, Jiraiya shook his head.  
"In training, as in cooking, a watched pot never boils. Now, let's go back to town and have a real bath. Not one where you just fall in, okay?"

The three of us walked into the mixed bathhouse, it was starting to get late, the stars sprinkled across the sky. No one else was in the baths, it was easy to relax.  
I leaned against the rock wall, chin deep in the steamy water. Kale was swimming around in the warm pool, his head lifted above the water as he slithered around.  
"Ah, this is better than falling in." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, a wet towel on the top of his head. "Yeah..." I smiled, leaning my head back.  
Jiraiya took a sip of sake, leaning on his shoulder. "Nothing beats relaxing after a long day of training." He said with a smile, "Hey, hey, pervy sage." Naruto called out to him, "So, tell me about this new technique." Naruto looked over at him, Jiraiya shook his head. "Tomorrow is soon enough."  
"Aw! Cheapskate!"  
Gama rose out of the water, spraying a long stream of water from its mouth and into the next pool over.  
"We'd better get out soon or we'll be stuck with a giant boiled toad." Jiraiya called out with a chuckle, me and Naruto added on.  
We all started laughing.

It was late into the night, Naruto let me sleep over at his since it was closer. I was out cold, Kale rested his head on the windowsill, looking out. His eyes flashed red.  
Jiraiya leaned on a railing the next building over, looking down at us, we were knocked out.  
Ebisu walked over to Jiraiya, he crossed his arms.  
"Sorry, Ebisu. It wasn't my plan to steal your students from you." Jiraiya said with a shrug, "Oh. That is of little importance." Ebisu answered back, turning his head over to Jiraiya.  
"Lord Hokage has had his ninja searching for you everywhere. We were just beginning to think that you would never be found. Then you turn up here of all places, right in front of me. He will be pleased."  
Jiraiya looked up at the night sky, "Have you told the Hokage that you've found me yet?" He asked, his arms crossed. Ebisu shook his head. "No. Not yet."  
"Very good. It's better that way." Jiraiya answered back, Ebisu turned to him. "You're after Orochimaru, aren't you?"  
Kale's eyes flashed to life, a crimson read gleaming against the window.  
"No, unfortunately, I can't say that I am. Sorry." Jiraiya gave a small shrug, "Huh?" Ebisu's eyes widened slightly,  
"The only thing that brought me here was the chance of doing some research for a book. I have no desire to get involved with any of that other business."  
"What do you mean?" Ebisu called out, pointing his palm upwards. "You can't be serious! You know better than anyone! There's only one way to deal with Orochimaru! He's one of the sannin and he can only be stopped by the power of another sannin! Your power, master Jiraiya."  
Jiraiya looked over at Ebisu, a frown on his face.

 _To be continued..._


	53. The Summoning Jutsu

Ebisu turned away from Jiraiya, walking towards the rooftops entrance. He paused, turning his head back. "Master Jiraiya, I'm putting all my trust in you," Ebisu said with a nod before leaving, Jiraiya gave a small sigh.  
-

The wind chimes rang through the night, the moon loomed over him. Gaara sat alone, his mind off on other things. The wind gave a cool breeze beating against his back, Gaara looked down at the rooftop.  
Dosu stopped, looking up at him. His sleeves blew around in the wind, Gaara squinted his eyes down at him.  
"Well, well, look at this." Dosu's voice cut through the quiet night, "Don't you ever sleep?" Dosu tilted his head. "Why are you here? What do you want?" Gaara breathed out, his arms crossed.  
"I was planning on attacking you while you slept. If I fight and defeat you now, then in the next round, I can battle the one I really want to face. Sasuke." Dosu squinted his eye up at Gaara, "I already know all about your sand attack." Dosu cleared his throat. "I wonder which is faster," He began, pulling back his long sleeve. "Your sand or my sound?"  
" _When the moon is full._ " Gaara turned his head up to the sky, "Hmm?" Dosu tilted his head.  
" _When the moon is full...Its blood boils."_  
Dosu jumped back, moving his arm in front of his face, his hand shook. "Wha-wha-" He gasped out, its shadow looming over him.  
"What in the world are you?!" Dosu shouted, frozen with fear.  
It's arm ran across the roof, shingles flew to the ground in a loud explosion. A cloud of dust and falling rock filled the air, Gaara landed on one knee, gasping for air, his fist down on the ceiling. He looked over to his right. The only things left of Dosu was an arm.

"Amazing." Kabuto gave a small smile, "So, that's Gaara's true form then, is it?" Kabuto wondered, tapping the sides of his glasses, Baki turned his head over to him. "Listen, is this okay? He was a sound ninja." Baki asked, crossing his arms.  
"Yes, it's fine. He's long since served his purpose." Kabuto said with a nod, "But I thought he was intended on testing the power of those two genin." Baki tapped his chin, "What were their names again? Sasuke and (Y/N)?"  
Hayate carefully sneaked around the back wall, leaning against it. His eyes widened slightly, _what? Is Kabuto in league with the sand ninja?_ Hayate wondered, pressing his head closer to the wall.  
"That's true, or it was. It isn't necessary anymore. See, the thing is, I was ordered to seize Sasuke when he was in the hospital. But I-" Kabuto paused, looking up at the sky with a smile. "Well, I failed in that mission, heh."  
"Wait, what?" Baki squinted his eye down at him, "That's right." Kabuto said with a sigh, thinking back.  
"Yes, that's right. They're discovered that I'm an agent of the sound village." Kabuto rubbed the back of his neck with a smile, Baki put his hands on his hips.  
"Wait a minute, if they know who are, and people find out that you're having a secret meeting with me, then the plan to destroy the Leaf Village will be completely ruined!"  
Hayate put his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide open.  
"I thought that you were Orochimaru's right-hand man, but after being revealed to them, you just nonchalantly come here and meet with me?!" Baki grunted out, his hands clenched into fists. Kabuto looked down at the ground, a wide smile on his face.  
"You're a fool," Baki called out, Kabuto chuckled down at himself.  
"Well, to be exact, they didn't quite discover what my true identity was on their own. I let them find out." Kabuto looked over at Baki, his palm raised to the sky. "Yes, I wanted to see just how far the Hidden Leaf would go when they discovered the truth. And even after they did, I knew it still wouldn't be too late to seize Sasuke and (Y/N)." Kabuto explained, giving a small shrug.  
"It was a plan that was originally posed by the sound village, so, if you guys are going to fail, then we're going to have to back off immediately," Baki said with a small sigh, crossing his arms. "Hmph."  
"The sand won't make a move until the last moment. This is the will of the Kazekage."

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Hayate's face, a grim expression running across it. _This can't be..._  
"Very well." Kabuto cleared his throat, passing a scroll to Baki. "This is the plan that you are to carry out."  
"Okay." Baki gave a small sigh, grabbing the scroll from Kabuto, he stuffed it into his pocket. "And remember, make sure you tell them about this plan as soon as possible." Kabuto's tone turned serious, "Yes." Baki nodded, "I know." He said, looking over at Gaara's silhouette.  
Kabuto turned, "Alright. Then I'll be going." Kabuto said, about to walk back inside, but he paused.  
Hayate clenched his fists, _to think that our ally, the sand has a secret pack with the sound village. I must tell Lord Hokage!_ Hayate moved, about to jump away, but he paused.  
"One more thing," Kabuto began, Baki looked over at him.  
" **I'll take care of our little spy.** "  
Hayate gasped, turning his head back to the wall. "No, wait. I will handle this." Baki said, walking past Kabuto, "As a gesture of faith in our allegiance. The least we sand ninja can do is lend a helping hand." Baki stopped, his back facing Kabuto. "Besides, it's just one little spy. It'll be easy."

Hayate jumped up, moving to the roof of the next building, Baki only left a trail of smoke behind. Hayate jumped from wall to wall, Baki stopped him dead in his tracks.  
Hayate jumped back, facing Baki on the other side of the roof.  
"Well, well. What do we have here? If it isn't the exam proctor." Baki said, crossing his arms. Hayate gritted his teeth. "What in the world do you think you're doing? Coming here all alone." Baki took a step closer, Hayate gave a small cough, reaching behind him to grab onto his sword.  
"Seems like I have no other option than to fight," Hayate answered back, a frown on his face. Hayate slightly pulled his sword from the sheath, a slither of metal peeking out, it glittered into the night. Baki took a strong stand, his legs slightly parted as he raised his hands. Hayate raised a one-handed sign in the front of his chest.  
Hayate pounced at Baki, his sword tightly grasped between his hands. "Hm." Baki watched him closely.  
"Leaf style, crescent moon dance!" Hayate shouted, jumping up into the air as he came down on Baki. His sword sliced into the shoulder of Baki's Flak jacket.  
The slice cut into Baki's skin, slightly grazing it. Hayate tried to pull his sword back out, but it was stuck, his eyes widened as he looked down at it. _I can't free my sword!_  
"Impressive," Baki called out, Hayate looked up at him. "The leaf style crescent moon dance, and being able to master it at such a young age. As I expected, your village is full of talented ninja." Baki looked down at Hayate with a grin, grabbing the blade of Hayate's sword.  
"Your talent with a sword is superb, of course, stopping a physical sword is easy." A sharp shadow moved across Baki's face, "However, a wind sword is a different story. No one can stop it."  
Baki moved his free hand to the side, the wind howled loudly, it whisked around his hand. Hayate let out a loud yell as it slashed into his chest.

The waterfall rushed in the background, a few giggles echoed from the small pool at the foot of it. A few girls were splashing around, having a small water fight, they laughed at each other.  
"Hehehehe." Jiraiya chuckled, peeking his head out from behind a couple of bushes. I stood behind him with my hands on my hips, "Oh wow!" He laughed, his face turning pink.  
"Knock it off." I growled, shaking my head. "We're truly in paradise, (Y/N)." Jiraiya said with a wide grin, leaning farther into the bushed, Naruto let out a long, exasperated sigh next to me. "You are so creepy!" I called out, stomping my foot on the ground. "Hehehe! Huahuahua!" He giggled along with the girls.  
Naruto quickly clasped his hands together, going up in a puff of smoke, he jumped back into his sexy jutsu. I watched him sneak behind Jiraiya. He put his hands over his eyes, "Huh?" Jiraiya moved his head up.  
"Hi, master Jiraiya, shouldn't you pay attention to me now?" Naruto called out, his voice annoyingly high pitched. I let out a small sigh.  
"I'm just desperate for someone to train me," Naruto leaned his chest closer to Jiraiya's back, "And you're the only one who can do it, super hunky sensei. Pretty please, master Jiraiya?"  
"So, you've finally come out of hiding, huh? I've been waiting for yooouuu~!"  
Naruto jumped off of him, quickly changing back to his normal self. Jiraiya spun around, he quickly lost his grin. "Wha..." Jiraiya let out a long sigh, looking down at Naruto and me. "No fair...hey, are you two just making fun of me?" Jiraiya asked with a whine,  
"Listen, there's nothing 'fun' about this situation," I answered back with a low growl.  
"Hey, I'm getting kind of hungry." One of the girls by the waterfall called out, her friend nodded. "Me too. Let's get back to the Inn." She agreed with a smile, picking up a towel. "Huh?" Jiraiya turned his head back around, "Oh, great, now they're leaving. Darn it." Jiraiya crossed his arms, "Alright, alright, I guess I'll teach you two the technique now."  
"Well, it's about time! And you better not be kidding around here!" Naruto shouted back, his arms crossed. "Yeah, I'm about done with waiting." I agreed with a nod.

Jiraiya crouched down to us, "Okay. Do you two remember what we talked about yesterday?" Jiraiya asked, putting his hand on his knee. "Huh? We talked yesterday?" I cracked with a grin, "Very funny." Jiraiya sighed, rolling his eyes.  
Jiraiya flicked me on the top of my head, "Ow!" I called out, "Remember how we talked about the Daigan? You said you trained a little bit with it before." Jiraiya answered, I crossed my arms.  
"Yeah...but..." I paused, looking down at the ground. "Don't worry about it." He called back with a smile, "Huh?" I wondered, looking up at him. "Go ahead and try it."  
"Well...I guess..." I mumbled taking a few steps back, Kale awoke suddenly. "Hm?" I mumbled as he moved up to the top my head, his tail flickering off the edge. I clasped my hands together.  
"Alright, Naruto." Jiraiya "Remember how you said about having different chakra, one red and one blue?" Naruto turned his head over to him, "Hm? So what about it?" Naruto wondered, crossing his arms. "You said that when you exerted enormous strength, you felt red chakra." Jiraiya said with a nod, "Yeah. That's right. I don't know how else to describe it." Naruto said, giving a small shrug. "Alright, try building up that red chakra right now."  
"Right now? Well, I guess, if you say so." Naruto mumbled, clasping his hands into a strong sign.  
I focused my chakra, my neck started to tingle slightly, "Hm?" I wondered, the pain from before seemed to have subsided. Kale looked down at me, his eyes blazing a deep crimson apposed to their normal crystal blue. I had my eyes closed, focusing on building up my chakra, I ignored him on the top of my head. "Gnnnnn!" I let out a low growl, opening my eyes back up, everything looked normal. I let out a long sigh,  
"Well?" Jiraiya asked, I shook my head. Naruto stomped his foot down, "It's not right." He shook his head, this hands on his hips. "It's the same chakra as always." Naruto said with a shrug, "There's something weird, I can't build up the Daigan again."  
"Aw man, you two really are hopeless."  
"Hey! Don't go acting like you're so great! And, besides, I can't help it! I don't even understand those two types of chakra, myself, alright?!" Naruto shouted back, his fists clenched. "Yeah! And I haven't used the Daigan in so long! The last time I did, I nearly fainted! I don't know how to control it!" I waved my hands in the air as I shouted.  
"Just keep trying." Jiraiya's tone turned serious,  
"Eh?" Naruto jumped back slightly, I turned my head away. "Fine. I will." I huffed, clasping my hands back together, Naruto sighed as he also tried again.  
 _Hmm. So they don't understand it._ Jiraiya thought, crossing his arms as he watched us. _Naruto probably still hasn't realized that the 'red chakra' is really the nine tailed fox's._ Jiraiya tapped his foot, _(Y/N) still hasn't properly recovered from the curse mark, a simple release charm will help ease it, but it won't completely stop it. It still has a strong hold over (Y/N)'s chakra. Producing the Daigan would be much harder than it was before they tangled with Orochimaru._ Jiraiya closed his eyes _, it seems like the excitement caused by danger, and also strong emotion, are the keys to summoning their powers._  
"It's no good, I'm only getting the everyday chakra here." Naruto whined, "Yeah, it's a total bust." I said with a shrug, "Hey, wait a second, why do I even need to use the Daigan? What does it have to do with the technique you're going to teach me anyway?" I pouted,  
Jiraiya gave a low growl, standing up, he pointing a finger in front of my face. "Listen, kid." My eyes widened slightly.  
"For the technique, I'm going to teach you, the chakra you've used until now is nowhere near powerful enough," Jiraiya explained, I looked up at him with a frown. Jiraiya flicked my forehead once again, I started to lose my balance, circling my arms so I wouldn't fall back.  
"If you want to use this technique, you'll have to be able to pull out all the stops and tap into the Daigan to reach it's powerful chakra, being able to summon it up at a moments notice."  
"Yeah, that sounds really cool and exciting, but how do you even know I can do it?" I answered back, my arms crossed.  
"Oh hoh! That's just what I wanted to hear!" Jiraiya grinned, pointing a thumb at himself.  
"Actually, it is because I am a sage!"  
"Eh...talk about giving an answer without giving an answer." I sighed, putting my hands on my hips. "Anyway, the Daigan that only you have will become your greatest weapon, I'm sure of it!"  
"Greatest weapon? Really?" I tilted my head, he pinched my cheeks. "Yes! Not using that is like wasting treasure. Look, there is no reason to blindly follow the same training regiment as everyone else, right?  
Everyone has their own various strengths and weakness, you have your own style. Your training until now involved maintaining and releasing a set amount of chakra. In other words, it was training you to control the flow of chakra, so that you wouldn't use it all up at once and get exhausted. You don't have a lot of stamina, you should use your power instead of wasting it on cheap tricks."  
"Ghu..." I rubbed the sides of my face, they were starting to turn red. Jiraiya bent down to me.  
"You both have two types of chakra, but varying in different amounts. One saved up inside of you like a pool," He explained, turning his head over to Naruto, "And one that has to be created." He said, looking over at me. "You two should learn to release the largest amounts if your chakra, and then train your self so you can increase the total amount of chakra one can use." Jiraiya flashed us a grin, "Once you do that, a whole world of jutsu will open up to you."  
"Seriously?" Naruto tilted his head, "Like, what could I do?" He asked Jiraiya.  
Jiraiya stood back up, "Well, for example, the summoning jutsu that I'm going to teach you." Jiraiya explained with a nod, "Summoning?" I wondered, "That's right." Jiraiya continued with a nod,  
"It is a teleportation technique in when you sign a contract in blood with all kinds of living creatures, and then summon them whenever you like with ninjutsu," Jiraiya explained with a nod.  
"Oh yeah! That sounds awesome!" Naruto shouted out, his fists clenched. "Come on! Teach me quick! Come on! Right now! Let's get going already!" Naruto said, jumping around. "Okay, okay, relax. Before we begin, you're going to have to use up all your regular chakra, so just your red chakra remains."  
"Alright!" Naruto shouted, jumping back, I turned to him with my arms crossed. Naruto clapped his hands together, in a puff of smoke, four of his clones jumped out, mirroring his stance. "So, he already knows the shadow clone jutsu." Jiraya mumbled, tapping his chin.  
"Yeah! And I have a good idea of how I can use it to get rid of my normal chakra really quickly." Naruto said with a nod, "Just watch!" He shouted, a large cloud of smoke blew up into the air. Too many Naruto's to count stood in front of me and Jiraiya, I let out a small sigh.  
"Well, look at that. And I thought one of you was trouble enough." Jiraiya said with a chuckle, the real Naruto burst through the crowd. He stood in front of them, his arms out to his sides.  
"Listen up! All of us are going to have one great, big, battle royale! The last one standing will be the strongest me! We're going to determine the me among me, get it?"  
" **Yeah!** " The crowd shouted simultaneously. "Ah, now I see. That's a pretty clever idea considering he's so dumb." Jiraiya said with a chuckle, I nodded along with him.  
Shouts and screams erupted inside of the crowd, Naruto's were getting thrown everywhere, exploding into smoke, Jiraiya sat down on the ground.  
"This isn't as fun as watching those ladies, that's for sure." Jiraiya gave a long sigh. A Naruto came flying towards him, "Ah! Oh no!" Jiraiya shouted as he saw Naruto's back coming closer, they crashed into each other. The clone went up in a puff of smoke, leaving Jiraiya dizzy on the ground. I laughed as I looked down at him, not paying attention to the fight, another Naruto came flying down from the sky, "Hm?" I turned my head, his chest flew into mine, knocking me down on the ground, "Hey, (Y/N)." Naruto laughed, I gritted my teeth, "Get off you jerk!" I shouted down at the clone, kicking it up into the air, it went up in a puff of smoke.  
-

Jiraiya leaned back under a red parasol, fanning himself.  
Naruto was out of breath, his fists loosely clenched at his sides. Only three of his clones left. "Well, is looks like the finale of this battle is close at hand." Jiraiya said with a smile, I was off to the side, focusing. He turned his head over to me, "How are you doing over there, (Y/N)?"  
"Shut up."  
"Good, keep it up," Jiraiya said with a sigh, turning his head back to Naruto. Naruto clumsily flung himself at another clone, headbutting him in the chest. Smoke trailed from Naruto's head, Naruto dropped his shoulders. One of his clones pounced on him, wrapping his arm around Naruto's neck, he tried to choke him from behind. Naruto grunted as he pulled the clone up over his shoulder, he threw him. The clone crashed into another one, leaving Naruto the sole victor.  
Jiraiya clicked his fan closed. "Nicely done."  
Naruto looked down at the ground, sweat beading down his forehead, he was gasping for air.  
"Ha!" I shouted, opening my eyes, they were blazing. "Huh-" Jiraiya turned his head over to me, my eyes zoomed in on him, an orange tint to everything I saw.  
"Heh..." Naruto chuckled, "Sure enough, just like I thought, I'm the strongest me-heh-..." Naruto fell to the ground, a smile on his face, my eyes burned brightly, I walked over to him with my arms crossed. Jiraiya walked over to us with a smile,  
"It seems that at long last, you've used up all your usual chakra," Jiraiya said, looking down at Naruto. "Now, I can teach you two the technique."  
"Yes!" Naruto shouted, jumping up excitedly, "Oh man, I've been waiting for this all day!" Naruto said with a grin. "Hm?" I wondered, feeling Kale start to twist. He'd been on my head so long, I had forgotten he was there. Kale slowly dropped down to my shoulders, his tongue flickering, his tail was up. "Hey, Kale what-" He stopped, looking me in the eye, red against yellow.  
"Heh. I couldn't tell." Jiraiya said sarcastically, his hands on his shoulders. "Here, first I'll show you two how it's done. Now, watch carefully!" Jiraiya called out, I turned my head up to him. _There's something wrong with Kale, but I just can't pick up on it. Not even with the Daigan._  
Jiraiya bit into his thumb, a line of blood popped up onto it. He drew it across his hand, after a quick few hand signs, he raised his arm, "Summoning jutsu!" He shouted, throwing his hand down onto the ground. He erupted in a cloud of smoke, standing on the back of a large toad. Naruto looked up at him, wide-eyed.  
"Whoa! That is totally awesome! That may just be the coolest thing ever!" Naruto shouted out, his mouth wide open. The toad's tongue rolled out of its mouth, a large scroll. It rolled into Naruto's arms, I knelt down to it.  
"Go on, open that scroll, and take a look inside," Jiraiya said with a nod. Naruto looked up at Jiraiya, and then back down at it. "It's a summoning contract that's been handed down from earlier generations of ninja."  
Naruto rolled it out on the ground, "Just sign your name in your own blood, and stamp the fingerprints of one hand beneath your signature." Naruto quickly scanned the names, "Find the place where you want to summon the creature, and then build up chakra and press down with the hand you used on the contract."  
Naruto bit into his thumb, I watched him carefully, "Here goes," He whispered, drawing his name out,  
"Na-ru-to-Uz-u-ma-ki!" Naruto spelt his name out, character by character. I nodded with a smile, Naruto moved to the side, I looked down at the next spot, bitting into my own thumb.  
"Wait." Jiraiya called out, "Huh?" I looked back up at him, Jiraiya paused, avoiding my eyes. "That's not the contract for you to sign." He said with a small sigh, I turned up to him. "What? Why not?" I asked, squinting my eyes up at him. He dug into his back, tossing a smaller scroll towards me, I caught it in my hand.  
"That one." He motioned towards it, I looked down at it. The scroll was a dark brown, the paper frayed and slightly burnt. I laid it down next to the other scroll, tilting my head down at it.  
"This..." I paused, looking down at it. "Why can't I sign the same scroll Naruto did?" I asked Jiraiya, looking back up at him. "It's hard to explain," Jiraiya paused, crossing his arms,  
I looked back down at it, Kale tensioned, his red eyes burning, a drop of blood rolled off of my thumb. "Fine," I mumbled, unrolling it, my eyes widened as I looked back at the past signatures. I ran my hand on it.  
"That..."  
I looked down at it, _Ichiro (L/N)...that's father's name._ I looked over at the next signature and paused. _Orochimaru (L/N),_ I clenched my teeth, snapping my head back at Jiraiya.  
"How did you get this?!" I shouted up at him, "Where did you steal it from?!"  
"I didn't steal it. A friend gave it to me." Jiraiya explained, looking down at the ground. "A friend? Who?"  
"Stop asking so many questions."  
I paused, looking back down at the scroll. I stuck my thumb down at the top of the page,  
 _(Y/N) (L/N)_  
I tapped each of my fingers onto my bleeding thumb, stamping them down onto the page.  
"It's yours now." Jiraiya called down to me, I looked back up at him, "I don't need to carry it around any longer." His voice dropped, I rolled the scroll back up, looking down at it on the ground as I stood up.  
Naruto paused, looking back at the two of us, he tilted his head. "I don't understand, what-" "Hey, Naruto, how about we try this new jutsu out?" I cut him off with a fake smile, walking past Jiraiya. Naruto nodded, "Yeah!" He nodded enthusiastically.  
 _A friend gave this scroll to the pervy sage, that doesn't make sense. But there's no way I'm going to get any answers out of him, not now._  
I drew a line of blood across my hand, Naruto was already a step ahead of me, making his hands signs, I caught up quickly.  
" **Summoning jutsu!** "  
Naruto and me shouted together, landing our hands down on the ground at the same time, a large puff of smoke erupted around us, I closed my eyes, my hands in front of my face as it brushed past me. A loud hiss caught my attention.  
I opened my eyes, a snake rose its head out of the smoke, it loomed over me, flashing its tongue out.  
"Wow!" Naruto gasped looking up at it, he quickly went to check his. He paused, "Eh?" Naruto tilted his head, looking down at a tiny flapping tadpole.  
Jiraiya facepalmed, _a tadpole? Sure enough, this kid has no talent what so ever._  
"Ha! Wow, you uh...you okay Naruto?" I asked, patting him on the back. Naruto stayed in place, staring down at the tiny thing.  
" _Yamakagashi..."_ A low hiss erupted, Kale jumped down from me, "Huh?" I whispered, turning my head back to the snake, Kale stretched himself up to its height. I took a step closer,  
" _Yamakagashi...long time no sssee."_ The snake hissed out, "Hey, what's your name?" I asked the snake, it was a little bit taller than me, but not by much. A brown and grey pattern stretching across it's back, calm red eyes stared down at me.  
 _"(L/N) blood...I am Habu."_ It hissed out to me, I reached my hand up, softly petting the top of its head. "Habu, that's an interesting name." I said with a smile, he looked down at Kale, " _Yamakagashi...Manda hasss ordered you to come back...why have you ssstayed?"_ Habu bent its head down to Kale, Kale let out a low hiss, curling his back.  
"Yamakagashi? Who's Yamakagashi?" I asked, Naruto looked over at me, his head tilted. "Who are you talking to?" He asked, looking over at me, I looked back at him. "Who do you think I'm talking to? Habu!" I said, motioning towards the snake, Naruto gulped, _I think (Y/N)'s finally lost their mind,_ he thought with a nervous look.  
 _"You call thisss one...Kale. Hisss birth name iss Yamakagashi."_  
"Kale's a lot cuter tho." I said with a shrug, _"Yesss, master (L/N)."_  
Naruto turned to Jiraiya, "Is (Y/N) seriously talking to those snakes?" He whispered, pointing at me. Jiraiya nodded, "When you sign a contract, you make an unbreakable bond with the creature you summon. You can talk to them as if they were people."  
Naruto shivered, "That snake is super creepy..." Naruto shook his head.

A murder of crows flew above, carefully watching the scene below. Hayate laid on the ceiling of an abandoned building. The Anbu circled his body. A large slash ran across his chest, dried blood stained on his ripped clothing, his eyes were blank. Life had leaked out of them long ago. Hayate was cold, unmoving. He was dead.  
Yugao bent down to her knees, her long hair blowing in the wind. "H-Hayate..." She whispered, her hand shook as she reached out to him, it hovered over the side of his face. She gently stroked his cheek, tears ran down her face, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. The mask hid her. "Hayate...what in the world happened to you...?" She bent down over him. She lifted his blood-stained sword into he lap, her head hung down, "This...this can't be..." Yugao put her hands over her ears.  
"This can't be real!" She screamed, a crow quickly flew away as she wept, her heart aching as she looked down at Hayate's corpse.

 _To be continued..._


	54. A Flower Full Of Hope

The sound of splashing filled the background, a few giggles echoing from the waterfall. I turned my head over to see what all the commotion was.  
"Oh! Stop it!" A girl squealed out, moving her hand over, water splashed above her. She laughed as she ran away from her friend, bending down as she cupped a handful of water. "Okay! See how you like it!" She said with a giggle, splashing her friend back.  
Jiraiya rustled in the bushes, "Ooo, nice." He chuckled, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "Hey, pervy sage? Hello?" Naruto called out, his hands on his hips as he faced the river. "Are you going to watch me try this jutsu again or not?" Naruto asked with a growl, a large frown stretching across his face.  
"Can't you see I'm busy with my research? Do it yourself!" Jiraiya shouted back, Naruto gave an irritated growl.  
"Okay, I will! And this time I'm gonna summon a frog the size of a house!" Naruto bit into his thumb, pounding his scraped up hand into the ground.  
I sat on the ground, my arms crossed as I watched him. Habu was circled around me, his head in my lap as he lounged, a few other snakes had come by, draped over my shoulders as they laid in the summer heat. I was motionless, watching Naruto with a blank expression.  
Naruto grinned as a large puff of smoke erupted around his feet, Jiraiya turned his head around. "So, how did it go? Did you get a frog to appear?" He asked, the smoke lifted, I gave a small laugh.  
Naruto waved his hands defensively, a tadpole flopping around by his feet. "W-Wait! Give it a moment! I think it's still growing!" Naruto shouted, looking back from the tadpole than up to Jiraiya.  
Jiraiya spun around, his hands on his thighs. "Listen! If you're not going to take this seriously, then I'm through with you! Do you understand me?!" Jiraiya shouted back at Naruto, Naruto raised a fist.  
"I am serious! You're the one who's staring at the girls, you old goat!" Naruto shout back, I watched them shout back and forth. Slowly moving my head to the next person speaking, and then back and forth.  
"Stop fooling around and focus on your chakra's as if your life depended on it!"  
"What'd ya think I'm doing?!"  
I looked back up into the sky, another snake slithering into the pile on my lap.  
-Sakura hugged her legs close to her chest, she sat alone in her bedroom. Sakura's hands shook slightly, her head down as she thought back to the forest. Her chin rested on her knees as she hugged them closer. As she reached up, she ran her fingers through her hair, the tips glazed past the skin of her neck. She shivered as she thought back on Orochimaru.  
"Hey! Come on Sakura!" Mebuki called out from the bottom floor, Sakura moved her head up slightly.  
"Are you still asleep? When are you going to come down here and help me?!" She called back, Sakura frowned as she listened to her mother shout. Sakura stretch her arms out to the side of the bed, leaning her head back on the wall as she kicked her legs out.  
"I wasn't sleeping! I'm busy!" Sakura shouted back, "I see! Well, when won't you be busy?" Mebuki asked from the kitchen, her arms crossed as she anxiously tapped her foot against the ground. Sakura scooted to the edge of her bed, her legs dangling off the side. "Later!" Sakura shouted down, hitting her feet against the wooden door.  
Sakura looked down at the ground. "I can't believe it..." Sakura whispered down to herself, "I can't."  
-

"Some of you may not yet of heard the news," Sarutobi began, his cap was down on the desk.  
"The body of Hayate Gekko was found near Kikyo Castle." Lord Hokage gave a small sigh, his head was down.  
"What? Hayate?" Asuma's eyes widened, his fists clenched. "H-He's dead...?" Kurenai mumbled out in shock, "Unbelievable." Ibiki's mouth opened slightly, Anko furrowed her brow. "This has to be Orochimaru's doing," Anko growled, looking down at her lap. Kakashi turned his head over to her, "As likely as that may seem, let's not jump to conclusions just yet." Kakashi said, shaking his head. "We think Hayate was on the trail of a sound village spy named Kabuto. No doubt Orochimaru is up to something, but we don't know for sure if-"  
"Well, I say, cancel the chunin exams and go after Orochimaru," Raido called out, cutting Kakashi off.

"No, I think not." Sarutobi called out, "He revealed himself to Anko and sent a warning not to cancel the exams. You see, these exams have brought together ninja from every allied nation."  
"What do you think it means?" Homura asked, Sarutobi looked over at him. "There are two things we know about him," Lord Hokage began, "That he bears and abiding grudge against our village, and that his power is great. Perhaps great enough to crush a village on his own." Sarutobi explained, looking down at his lap.  
"Certainly great enough that any village would prefer to have him on their side, rather than against them."  
"Impossible." Raido shook his head, "No village in the alliance would betray another and join forces with that fiend!"  
Sarutobi's glance hardened, Anko kept her head down, her fists clenched.  
"Well," Kakashi leaned his arm on his knee, "The alliance treaty is only as binding as any verbal agreement." Kakashi closed his eye, Raido looked back at him, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.  
"As we found out during the last great war."  
"In any case," Sarutobi called back, Raido's glance moved back up to him. "Until we're able to find out more, this is all just idle speculation," Sarutobi explained with a nod. Koharu cleared her throat, "We've dispatched Anbu black ops to every village to collect information. We would be fools to act too hastily." Koharu said with a small nod, "That might be just what our enemy is aiming for."  
"And besides," Sarutobi began with a small smile, he paused, looking down at every one.  
"I have complete trust in every one of you." All eyes were on him, "So when the time comes..." Sarutobi paused,  
"We will gather the strength of the Hidden Leaf Village and fight if we must."

Sakura's fingers glided across the edges of the frame, she looked down at the five of us all smiling up. She held the picture in her hands.  
Sakura and (Y/N) standing side by side in the middle, slightly crouched down. Naruto shot Sasuke an aggravated glance from behind Sakura, Sasuke was staring down at (Y/N). Kakashi stood behind us all with a smile, one hand on Naruto's head, the other on Sasuke, as if he was trying to keep them from pouncing on each other.  
Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of Sasuke, a frown hung on her face.  
"Was..." She whispered down at the photo, "Was I wrong?"  
 _"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark." Sasuke's tone was harsh as he stared down at Sakura, tears welled up in her eyes.  
Should...should I have stopped him by force if I had to...?  
"What? No visitors?" Sakura asked, her head tilted. "I'm afraid not." The receptionist shook her head, a small frown on her face. "I'm sorry." She said with a sigh. "But why? He's not in critical condition or something is he? Why can't he have any visitors?" Sakura asked, worry etched onto her features. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I really don't have any more information." The receptionist explained, shaking her head._

"Well, standing here worrying isn't going to do any good," Sakura said with a sigh, putting the picture back up on the shelf. She walked away.

The village was lively that time of day, people shifting around, window shopping as they passed by shops. Sakura was mixed in with the crowd, her head down as she continued to walk.  
"Hm?" Sakura looked up, a large pink sign catching her eye.  
 _Yamanaka Flowers_  
Read above her, Sakura stopped as she looked up at it. "That's right. I should bring flowers." Sakura thought out loud, walking into the store.

"Let's see..." Sakura mumbled, looking around. "Hm?" Sakura's eyes widened as she turned her head, Ino was leaning on a table, a grin on her face.  
"Oh, Sakura, you poor thing. It's sad when a girl has to buy flowers for herself." Ino scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not! I'm..." Sakura turned her head away from Ino, "Not like it's any of your business. I didn't expect to find you minding the shop." Sakura answered back, scanning through the different kinds of flowers. She bent down, sifting through them. _I'll make this quick,_ Sakura thought, putting a piece of her hair behind her ear. Ino stood behind her, peering over her shoulder.  
"Taking a planter to the hospital is like saying you expect the person to be there forever," Ino said, crossing her arms, Sakura hung her head down. "Some cut flowers may be a better idea."  
"Mmm..." Sakura flushed embarrassed, "H-Hospital? What do you mean?" Sakura gave Ino a small shrug, Ino shot up. "Don't play dumb with me. You're going there to visit Sasuke, aren't you?" Ino raised her brow, "Uh..." Sakura gulped, Ino turned her head to the back of the store.  
"Hey, mom! I'm going out for a while!" Ino shouted back, an inaudible mumble came from the back of the store. "Wait!" Sakura gasped, shaking her head. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked, "Get real. If you think I'm going to let you be the first one to get in to see Sasuke, you. are. so. wrong." Ino put it simply, a smug grin on her face. Sakura furrowed her brows, her fists tightly clenched. _Ms. Ino pig, always butting in._ Sakura thought, gritting her teeth.  
Sakura turned away from Ino. Ino plucked a flower, "I think I'll bring him one red rose." Ino said with a smile, "It's the flower of love." She gave a small sigh.  
"Ha. How lame can you get? Me, I'm going to bring him a single daffodil." Sakura said, looking down at the delicate white flower with a smile, "A noble flower that bravely endures the long months of winter then blossoms forth as a sign of spring." Sakura's cheeks turned pink as she held the flower close, _just like you will soon blossom again, Sasuke._  
"What are you a botanist all of a sudden?" Ino gave her a low growl, Sakura snapped her head back at Ino. "I warned you! I will not lose out to you!" Sakura seethed, "Whatever." Ino rolled her eyes, "So, are you going to pay for that daffodil?" Ino asked, her hands on her hips.  
Sakura's eyes widened as she turned back to the flowers, "I should get two." Sakura thought with a nod, "Two? What, are you trying to impress him?" Ino scoffed,  
"One for him, and another for Lee. I owe him something, don't I?" Sakura said with a small smile, Ino tensed.

The two of them walked out of the shop, shoulder to shoulder. Sakura's head was down as she stared at the flowers, Ino kept her head up, a small frown on her face as they continued to walk.  
"Waiter! More!" A shout from a nearby restaurant caught their attention, Ino walked up to the window, Sakura close behind.  
"Ten orders of short ribs!" Choji shouted with a grin, quickly picking things off of the grill, he stuffed them into his mouth. Shikamaru crossed his arms, a disgusted look on his face. "Man, you could put me off of food for good." Shikamaru frowned, "Just watching you makes me sick." Shikamaru said with a small shiver.  
The waiter came back over to the booth, holding a plate stacked high with raw meats. "So, did you order the short ribs?" He asked, walking over to them. Choji gasped, "Ah finally!"  
The waiter put the plate down on the table, Choji lined it up on the grill with a grin, he pointed his chopsticks at Shikamaru. "This is all mine Shikamaru!" Choji shouted out with a chuckle, "Don't try stealing any! Ha!"  
"Don't worry. I wasn't planning on it." Shikamaru shuddered. Asuma gulped as he opened his wallet back up, leaning again the wall with a sigh.  
"Mmm! Ah! So good!" Choji mumbled through bites, "What the heck are you guys doing?!"

"Huh?" Shikamaru and Asuma looked over at the window. "Shikamaru, shouldn't you be training for the final exam instead of sitting around pigging out?" Ino asked, her hands on her hips as she glared at them through the window.  
"I have been training. Every day all day." Shikamaru let out a long sigh, "Asuma's a goddamn slave driver."  
Asuma let out a loud laugh next to him, "Ha! And it's not only Shikamaru, Choji's joined us for training as well." Asuma nodded with a grin.  
"What!" Ino said shocked, turning her head over to Ino. "So, you're going for it after all, huh," Ino said, crossing her arms. Choji nodded, "Mm-hmm, yeah!" Choji grinned, stuffing another bite into his mouth. "And in return, I get all the barbecue I can eat!"  
"Well, that would explain it. Heh." Ino gave a small smile, Shikamaru put his hands behind his head. "Oh man, I wish I'd never signed up for this stupid final exam." Shikamaru groaned, leaning back. "I don't want to hear it." Asuma called back, his arms crossed. "There are plenty of people who would give their right arm to be a part of it." Asuma said, leaning on the table. "Yeah, your sensei's right." Sakura agreed with a nod.  
"Anyway, from what I've heard, Guy and Kurenai's team's are training their butts off." Asuma said, "Yeah? Well, what about it?" Shikamaru asked, his brow raised. "After coming this far," Asuma paused with a grin, "You don't want them making you look bad, do you?"  
"Ugh. What a drag."

Tenten was panting heavily, her shoulders drooped down. Weapons and shuriken of all shapes and sizes riddled the area around her, Neji stood in front, his head down. A sharp shadow crossed his face. Scratches and bruises lined up around him, a large frown on his face.  
"I...I can't keep this up." Tenten said between gasps, "No human being could." She gulped, sweat running down her forehead.

"I think..." Neji began, "I think I've used too much...of my chakra..." Neji mumbled, falling down to the ground. "Neji!" Tenten shouted, "Are you alright?" Tenten ran to him, falling down on her knees. "I...I..." Neji's voice was faint,  
"(Y/N)..."  
Tenten's eyes widened, her expression changing as she heard the name. Her hands shook slightly, "What...what about..." Tenten gritted her teeth, shaking her head.

"Summoning jutsu!" Naruto shouted, he had been going at it all day. Smoke erupted around him, Naruto coughed as he took a step back.  
"AH! Again with the tadpole's?!" Jiraiya shouted, "This is ridiculous! We're not getting anywhere!"  
"Look!" Naruto shouted, pointing down at the little thing. "Can't you see? This one's bigger than the last one!"  
"Who cares?! It's still a tadpole!"  
"Hey...uh...guys!" I gulped, sitting as still as I could, my entire body was covered in snakes. "A little help?" I called out, my eyes wide open. "Ha!" Naruto laughed as he pointed at me, Jiraiya face-palmed.

"So, you're here to see Sasuke Uchiha." The nurse said with a nod, walking down the hall, a clipboard close to her chest. "Please keep in mind that he is still very weak." She said with a small frown, Ino and Sakura followed close behind. "He needs his rest."  
She looked back at them, "You'll have to keep your visit short. Five minutes, that's all I can give you." The nurse explained, holding a few keys, the clicked together as she walked. "All right." Sakura said, giving a small sigh.

The nurse knocked on the door, "Sasuke? May I come in?" She asked, sliding the door open, she stepped into the room. "You have a couple of pretty visitors here-!"  
The nurse gasped, dropping her clipboard on the ground. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. "Sasuke!?" She gasped, running over to his wardrobe, she pulled it open. Her eyes widened. "All of his clothes are gone!"  
"Huh?" Ino and Sakura looked over at her, "This is terrible! He's in no condition to be walking around on his own!" The nurse turned, "Doctor! Doctor!" She shouted, running out of the room, she left Ino and Sakura behind.

"Oh, Sasuke..." Ino looked away, "D-Did he...?" Sakura's grip tightened around the flowers.  
 _At some point, they will come to me, in search of power._  
"Oh, Sasuke, where have you gone?" Sakura whispered, looking down at the ground. "Huh?" Ino gasped out, walking towards Sasuke's nightstand. A few flower petals were left behind, the white ring of a small vase stood in the middle of it. Ino's eyes widened, "Who?!" Ino gritted her teeth, Sakura looked over at her, "Someone was here before me!" She shouted, shocked, "But who could-" Sakura paused, Ino and Sakura shared an irritated glance,  
"(Y/N)!"

Kakashi gritted his teeth, he was hanging off of the face of a cliff, more than halfway to the top. One of his arms was tied tightly behind his back, he grunted as he continued to pull himself up the side of it. Kakashi put a foot down on the side, moving up, he grabbed onto the next ledge.  
"Why is this so much harder than it used to be?" Kakashi wondered with a sigh, pulling his chest up, "I must be getting out of shape..." Kakashi put his chin on the rock, "Time's almost up..." He reminded himself, putting his foot down on another ledge. A large crack sounded beneath him, Kakashi's eyes widened.  
The rock crumbled from beneath his foot, falling down, it bounced off the side of the cliff. Kakashi fell slightly, only holding on with one hand, he dangled off the edge. He grunted as he looked up at his hand, it started to cramp. He could only hold on with two fingers, his arm tensed.  
Kakashi closed his eye, furrowing his brow, he focused his chakra. _The gate of opening..._ Kakashi gave a small sigh, "Open." He mumbled, opening his eye back up. He strengthened his grip on the rock, throwing himself upwards, he caught onto a high ledge. Kakashi let out a small sigh.  
A shadow loomed over Kakashi's head, "Hm?" Kakashi wondered as he looked up, Sasuke stood on the edge of the cliff, a bundle of wildflowers in his right hand, his left in his pocket. "What's up?" Sasuke asked with a small grin, feeling the cool flowers stems in his hand.  
"Heh. So you finally showed up." Kakashi pulled himself up, looking down at the flowers. "Where did you get those?" He asked as he sat down on the edge of the cliff, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. Sasuke looked out at the canyon,  
"A..." Sasuke paused, "A good friend."  
-"Oh man..." Ino sighed, Sakura hung her head down. They sat inside the waiting room worried, the nurse from before walked over to them with a sympathetic smile.  
"Well, we'll keep on searching for him here in the hospital, but in the meantime, if you see him, please contact us immediately. Will you?" She asked, "Yes, of course." Sakura answered back with a nod, Ino did the same.  
"Now, you wanted to see Rock Lee as well, right?" She looked down at Sakura, "Yes." Sakura answered back, holding onto the two flowers tightly. The nurse looked down at her clipboard,  
"He's in no better condition than Sasuke, so don't expect to have a very long visit."

The nurse knocked on the door with a small smile, "Lee?" She called out, sliding the door to the side. "You have a couple of pretty visitors here." She said, walking through the door, she gasped out. Her clipboard fell to the floor, Sakura rushed into the room. "Oh no! Not Lee too!" The nurse cried, shaking her head.  
"Lee! Lee!" The nurse called out, moving towards the open window. Sakura and Ino looked around the room, "Weird." Ino sounded out, crossing her arms. "Huh?" Sakura's eyes widened, "Look." She called out, pointing to the window. The nurse leaned out from it.  
Lee was in the courtyard, struggling as he pushed up with one hand. "Lee!" The nurse shrieked, turning from the window, she ran towards the front door. Ino turned on her heel to follow, "Come on Sakura!" Ino said in a rush, "Right!" Sakura followed. The three of them ran into the courtyard.

Lee was out of breath, sweat dripped down his forehead and onto the ground in front of him. "T-Two hundred push-ups...that was the deal," Lee told himself, his arm shaking as he balanced on it. "If you can not finish them, it is one hundred leg squats...so come on!" Lee cheered himself on, continuing the push-ups.  
A small bouquet of mixed blue, yellow, and white wildflowers was laid down on the ground in front of him. He stared at the flowers as he continued to count, "H-Here we go..." He let out a small sigh, "One hundred and ninety-gnnn!" Lee gritted his teeth, a low growl rumbled in his chest as he pushed himself up once again.  
"Lee! You shouldn't be out of bed!" The nurse shouted as she ran over to him, her eyes wide as she watched him. "Lee! Stop it! What do you think you're doing?!" The nurse cried out, shaking her head.  
"One hundred and ninety one..." Lee continued to push, his body shaking. "Lee," The nurse began, putting her arm on his shoulder. "Keep away from me!" He shouted up at her, the nurse jumped back. Sakura and Ino came running out of the building, standing behind the nurse.  
"Please! I've...got...to finish...my training!" Lee called answered back through quickly painted gasps, Sakura closed her eyes.  
 _"I should get two." Sakura thought with a nod, "Two? What, are you trying to impress him?" Ino scoffed,  
"One for him, and another for Lee. I owe him something, don't I?" Sakura said with a small smile, Ino tensed as she closed her eyes. Ino gave Sakura a small sigh, "Sakura, speaking of Lee, you heard the news about him, didn't you?" Ino asked, Sakura looked up at her. "Huh? What news is that? Is he getting better already?" Sakura asked with a smile, Ino shook her head. "No...his injuries were bad. Really bad." Ino let out a small sigh, "It means that he'll never...well...his days as a ninja are __**over.**_ _"_

"One...ninety...five..." Lee continued on, his entire body shaking. "One...ninety...six..." Lee continued on, staring at the flowers, "One...ninety...seven." The petals shifted in the wind, "One...ninety...eight..." A small blue ribbon held the stems together, "Do...do not count me out...I am not through...yet..." Lee groaned, continuing to push on his arm.  
 _You're right, all the effort is pointless if you don't believe in yourself._  
"One hundred...ninety...nine..." Lee could feel his elbow start to pop, "No...just one more...one more!" He called out through heavy gasps, his arm shaking violently. "Just one more-!"  
His arm gave out, he hit the ground. A cloud of dirt rose around him as he landed. "Lee! Oh no!" The nurse gasped, bending to he knees, she flipped Lee over on his back. Lee's eyes drooped down, "F-Flowers..." Lee whispered, the nurse's eyes wided, she reached over to the small bundle, lying them on Lee's chest. Lee's eyes closed, as he passed out.  
The nurse rose to her feet, she looked back at Ino and Sakura. "I'll get some orderlies out here with a stretcher," She said, rushing off back to the hospital, "Keep an eye on him!"

Sakura and Ino walked over to him, Sakura fell to her knees as she looked down at him. She closed her eyes. "Why...why Ino?" Sakura asked in a whisper, "Huh?" Ino looked over at her, "What is it that makes boys like that? They're always pushing things too far..." Sakura hung her head down, Ino turned her head away.  
"Why ask me? I'm not a boy." Ino crossed her arms, "Right. Sorry."

"Aw...what a bore." Jiraiya let out a long sigh. The sky was already turning orange, the sun was setting. I leaned against a tree, trying my best to keep snakes from reappearing. Habu had already gone back to where he came from, the snake's started to come less and less.  
"It's obvious our friends in the swimsuits won't be coming back, so how about we call it a day guys?" Jiraiya said with a frown, his arms crossed. "B-But you're supposed to be training me!" Naruto shouted back, shaking his head, "Come on, please! One more time, okay?" Naruto whined, Jiraiya walked over to him.  
"I'm tired and I'm hungry. That's enough, we've been out here all day." Jiraiya let out a long sigh, Naruto clenched his fists. "But you haven't done anything!"  
"You little squirt! You should be thankful I'm even hanging out with you!" Jiraiya shouted down at him, I walked over to them with my arms crossed. _"_ Yikes. This old coot's touchy." I grinned, walking over to them. Jiraiya shot me an irritated glance, his arms crossed as he looked down at me, I laughed.  
Naruto waved his hands,  
"Okay! Wait! I know what you need!" Naruto called back, "Hm?" Jiraiya looked over at him, Naruto clasped his hands together. "Sexy jutsu!" Naruto shouted out, he erupted in a puff of smoke.  
"HA!" Jiraiya gasped out, Naruto sigh. Snapping his fingers, Naruto turned back to normal. "Wait, that's it? That wasn't so long. And what about the other one?" Jiraiya asked in a sad mumble,  
"Hey! I've already got that jutsu down, okay? It's the summoning jutsu I want to work on!" Naruto shouted, his fist raised. Jiraiya sighed, "Okay, okay, okay. Go ahead. Give it another shot." Jiraiya said, kneeling down. I took a step back, standing beside Jiraiya.  
"Right! Here we go!" Naruto shouted excitedly, bitting into his thumb, he punched his hand down on the ground.  
"Victory!" Naruto shouted as a puff of smoke came up around him.  
"Hopeless! Why do I even waste my time with you?!" Jiraiya cried out,  
"What? Are you blind?" Naruto shouted back, pointing down at the tadpole. "Huh?" Jiraiya looked back down at it. This time the tadpole had legs.  
"You see? This one's got legs!" Naruto said with a grin, "Great!" Jiraiya said sarcastically, "Now just give it two arms and a brain and maybe I can train it!"  
"Why do you have to be so negative? You gotta admit, at least I'm making progress!"  
Jiraiya let out a loud sigh.

 _To be continued..._


	55. Live or Die! Risk It All to Win It All!

I let out a grumbled sigh, sitting on an uncomfortable wooden bench. I slouched my back, looking up at the sky. The sun had just start to come up, I had been sitting out all night.  
I was confused. _All the things that had went on in only a couple short weeks. Uncle Orochimaru mysteriously came back from the grave, or, now it seems like, his hiding spot. This pervy sage shows up all of a sudden, wielding a sacred scroll that has been passed down in my family generation after generation. Kakashi-sensei has seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth, along with Sasuke. Sakura wont respond to any of my letters, and when I tried to talk to her, she ignored me. Shikamaru and Choji are too busy training, same with Naruto. Kiba's never home to play pranks on, Shino just gets quiet and stares at me every time I come by. Ugh, it's like everyone's in their own little world.  
And to top it all off, someone's been leaving me gifts all around my house. How did they even find the place?! I made absolutely sure that I didn't tell anyone! Not even Naruto!_  
I let out another long sigh as I looked down at one of the folded cards. I got it yesterday when I woke up in the morning. It was propped up against the kitchen table.  
I flicked it open, looking down at the handwritting. It was perfect and straight, not a misspelled word, or a single fault. Not even a small accidental blotch of ink. It was the exact opposite of how I write.  
 _It's been a long time since we've seen each other. Let's meet again._  
The small message sent a shiver down my spine. _What kind of creep has been giving me these things?_  
I hear a couple of birds flutter overhead, I looked up at them, the sun was almost fully in the sky. I jumped off of the uncomfortable bench, stretching my back. I heard a loud pop.  
 _Lee's probably awake by now, I bet he's been waiting for me to show up. I better get there quickly, the nurses have him under special watch now that he's made his way into the courtyard._  
I picked up my pace as I started heading towards the hospital, the sun sturdly getting higher and higher. I broke into a quick dash.

Jiraiya's entire head was in the bushes, leaves poking his face as he looked at the girls splashing around by the waterfall. It was their third returning day. Jiraiya's face was bright red.  
Naruto looked down at the ground, focusing down on the rock he has been practicing. Bite marks lined his thumbs, little bits of steam came as the old ones started to heel.  
Naruto pointed his thumb to his lip, sinking his back tooth into it. A drip of blood rolled down the side of it.  
"Summoning jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he jumped down, slamming his hand down on the rock. A large puff of smoke erupted around him, Naruto's eyes sparkled.  
"That just had to work!" He whispered excitedly to himself, swiping the smoke away as he tried to see what was on the ground in front of him.  
A small green frog sat on the rock, little red spots lining it's back. "Hm?" Naruto tilted his head, looking down at it.  
"Gnnn..." Naruto held his hands against his head,  
"Ahhh! What the heck is the difference between a frog and a tap pole anyway?!" Naruto shouted out.  
Jiraiya giggled as he continued to watch, Naruto turned to him with a scowle.

"Come on! Jump!" One of the girls shouted out to their friend above, on a tall rock. She screamed as she jumped into the water below.  
Naruto growled, pointing an accusing finger at Jiraiya's back.  
"Look, pervy sage! Can't you act like you believe in me?!" Naruto growled, clenching his fist. "Huh?" Naruto whispered as he looked down at his fist, it started to turn blurry. His eyes couldn't focus as he started to feel light headed. Naruto stood on shaking legs, his eyes rolling back into his head as he fell down. Blacked out of exhaustion.  
Jiraiya turned his head back to him with a frown, Naruto was out.  
Jiraiya let out a loud sigh as he climbed up to his feet, "He collapses again." Jiraiya said, crossing his arms as he looked down at Naruto, walking towards him.  
 _But I suppose it's no surprise. For three weeks now, he's been getting through his training on guts and determination alone._ Jiraiya nodded as he looked down at him. _And still, there's no sign of (Y/N) anywhere._ Jiraiya looked around the river, _no one knows when Orochimaru is going to attack. If he needed (Y/N) right now, he would of already taken them. They're safe for now, I think. But times running out._ Jiraiya looked up at the sky, the sun shinned down at him.  
 _I need to find them soon. There's no way I'm going to let Orochimaru get away with his evil plans._  
-

Sarutobi sat alone, looking up at the pictured of the previous hokage. A small smile came to his face as he looked up at Minato.  
Anko quietly came into the room, Sarutobi lost his smile, looking at her in the corner of his eye.  
"Lord Hokage." Anko's voice came out soft, but pitched. He turned his head around to meet her, Anko's eyes were on the ground.  
"What is it, Anko?" He asked, "I'm sorry, but...I'm..." Anko's voice trailed off, the closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh. Sarutobi turned his head back around.  
"You're what? Are you feeling guilty that you turned back alive from the forest of death." He asked, Anko hung her head low, a pained expression on her face.  
"There's no need for that. After all, you no longer have a connection to Orochimaru, right?" He moved his head slightly to the side, Anko kept quiet.  
"There's no ninja alive today in the Village Hidden in the Leaves who could ever even hope to defeat him." A silence struck between them as he continued on,  
"I myself probably would not be his equal." Sarutobi closed his eyes. Anko rose her head, squinting her eyes down at the floor.  
"I wish..." She began, "I wish the fourth hokage was still alive." She said with a sigh, Sarutobi shook his head.  
"You shouldn't say such things. It's only because he sacrificed himself that our land was saved." Sarutobi opened his eyes, looking back up at his portrait.  
"Besides, that's all in the past. It's a story from thirteen years ago. He's gone, and we can't change that. We must do what we can with what we have."  
He said with solemn tone, standing up from his seat. Anko watched him get up, a solid frown on her face.  
"Yes sir." She said quietly. Sarutobi picked his cap up from the table in front of him, putting it on his head.  
"Very well. I'm going out to get some fresh air." He said, turning to her, his pipe between his lips. He walked around the couch, he passed Anko, she followed him with her eyes.  
Sarutobi stopped in front of the door.  
"And Anko, don't blame yourself." He said, slowly shaking his head as he left.|  
-

Me and Lee shared a laugh, I cupped my hand over my mouth as I giggled.  
"Heh! I can't believe Tenten said that!" I smiled, Lee nodded his head. "Yeah. Me either." Lee smiled back, my eyes widened slightly.  
"Oh! I forgot," I began, reaching behind me, I pulled out another bundle of wildflowers.  
"I think it's about time to change them out." I said, hopping off of the dresser, I walked closer to Lee's bed, reaching for the night stand.  
"(Y/N)." Lee called out to me, "What's up?" I asked, pulling the browning flowers out of the vase, I looked over at him, my head slightly tilted. We were close together, our gazes met together, Lee gulped, his face starting to turn red.  
"Well..." He looked down, "I asked you at the beginning of the chunin exam, but..." Lee paused,  
I knelt down, putting the fresh flowers in the vase,  
"But I was interrupted so, now I will ask again!" Lee turned his head back to me, I looked up at him.  
He flashed the same grin, pointing his thumb upwards with his working arm. "Huh?" My eyes widened as I looked at him.  
"(Y/N)! Will you be my-!"  
"Lee!"  
The doors to his room swung open, I snapped my head towards there direction. Lee's eyes widened as he turned his head around, Guy-sensei jumped into the room, a wide smile on his face with his fists up in the air. He ran over to the other side of Lee's bed.  
"Lee! I found this amazing tea in the market that can heal all wounds, this could be-!" Guy stopped when he saw me get up to my feet, I held the dead flowers in my hand, I looked up at him with a smile.  
"Guy-sensei, that's awesome!" I smiled up at him, nodding my head, "Lee, if the tea works, you should be out of here in no time!" I clasped my hands together excitedly, Lee's eyes sparkled.  
"Yes! I will drink it all!" Lee said enthusiastically, Guy pulled out a large glass bottle filled to the brim with a brown liquid. He handed it to Lee, Lee nodded as he looked down at it.  
-

"Come on, open your eyes already." Jiraiya called out, pouring a bucket of water down on Naruto.  
Naruto gurgled as he tried to gasp out, sitting straight up on the ground, coughing. "H-Hey!" He called out, shaking the water off of his face.  
"What was that for?!" Naruto screamed out, looking up at Jiraiya angrily.  
"Oh, that." Jiraiya smiled, "To knock some sense into you, since you have none." Jiraiya put his hands on his hips.  
"I don't? Look at you!" Naruto shouted back, Jiraiya crouched down, looking Naruto in the face.  
"You've been training for three weeks, and you're still at this level? If you continue like this, it's pointless." Jiraiya shook his head, Naruto clenched his fists. "Hey! That's not true! Give me a break! I'm trying as hard as I can here!" Naruto shouted back, his fists raised.  
"Maybe you are, maybe you're not." Jiraiya said, crossing his arms. "If you want to succeed at this summoning jutsu, then you must do it like your life depends on it." Jiraiya said with a grin, waving his hand. Naruto jumped up to his feet,  
"What do you think I've been doing?! I train everyday like I'm gonna die!" Naruto shouted, "If you have time to complain about it, teach me a trick to do it!" Naruto pointed down at Jiraiya,  
"A trick?" Jiraiya scratched the top of his head, "Well, I don't know."  
"What? You're not going to teach me?" Naruto leaned in, Jiraiya looked back up at him.  
"You need to put you life at risk." Jiraiya's tone turned serious, "My life?" Naruto tilted his head,  
"That's right. It's no joke." Jiraiya shook his head, "Even so, are you ready to do it?" He asked Naruto,  
Naruto clenched his fists. "Of course! I always risk my life! There's no point in anything if you don't go all the way!"  
"I see." Jiraiya rose to his feet, "Huh?" Naruto looked up at him.  
"Alright, follow me." Jiraiya turned his back to Naruto, following the other side of the river. Naruto sighed as he caught up with him.  
-

"BLAH-!" Lee couged up the first sip, his face turning green. He held his hand over his mouth as he tried not to throw up,  
"Lee! Are you alright? Here-" I moved towards the bottle, Lee held my hand, stopping me.  
"No! I will drink it all!" Lee nodded, I moved my arm back with a smile. Guy clenched his fists. We watched as Lee brough the bottle closer to his face, his lips touching the rim.  
He let out a long sigh before tilting it back. He chugged it.  
Lee drank it down as quickly as he could, I could hear it gurgle when it hit the back of his throat. The tea swished around in the bottle, bubbling as Lee continued to drink. He was almost halfway done.  
"That's it! You've got this!" I cheered Lee on, "Come on Lee! You can do it!" Guy cheered along next to me, Lee let out a loud gurgling groan. A line of the brown liquid dripped down his chin, his face bright green.  
"Go Lee! Go Lee! Go Lee!" I chanted, my fists in the air.  
Tears ran down his face like a river, a snot bubble forming in his nose as he continued to drink, gurgling the disgusting tea.  
The last of the liquid swirled around the top of the bottle, streaming down his throat. Lee's tongue twitched as he drank the last to it.  
Lee threw the empty bottle down on his lap, gasping and coughing as he tried to get the taste out of his mouth, his tongue hanging in the air.  
"I knew you could do it Lee!" Guy stood with with a smile as he reached behind him,  
"Only nine more to go!" Guy said, pulling out the rest of the large bottles, "Wha-!" Lee's eyes widened as Guy passed him another bottle, Lee sniffled as he swished the tea around.

Naruto followed close behind Jiraiya, his arms in the back of his head.  
"Hey, pervy sage-" Jiraiya cut Naruto off, "I'm the toad sage." Jiraiya answered back, Naruto rolled his eyes.  
"Yeah, well, whatever you are, what does this have to do with the summoning jutsu anyway? We've just been walking around, when are you going to teach me the trick?" Naruto whined, Jiraiya kept silent as he continued to walk.  
"Hey?" Naruto called out, trying to get his attention. "Hello?" Naruto clenched his fists,  
"I'm talkin to you-HEY!"  
Naruto shouted, startled as he ran into Jiraiya's back. Jiraiya stopped in the middle of the road,  
"What?! What is it?! Why'd you stop?!" Naruto shouted up at him. "Hey, Naruto." Jiraiya, turned to him with a smile. "Hm?" Naruto tilted his head as he looked up at him.  
"Tell me. Is there something you like to eat?" Jiraiya asked, "Huh?" Naruto raised his brow.  
-

"All right!" Naruto laughed as he slurped down a mouth full of ramen, Jiraiya sat by his side, enjoying his own bowl.  
"Ha, this is great." Naruto smiled, "Why can't the training be like this everyday?" Naruto asked with a grin,  
"Good. Now eat up." Jiraiya nodded, "It...may be your last meal." He said quietly,  
"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, looking up at Jiraiya. Jiraiya let out a loud cough, shaking his head. "Oh! Nothing, nothing at all! Anyway, eat up! Ha! Yeah, that's right, eat up! Eat like there's not tomorrow!" Jiraiya laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.  
Naruto squinted his eyes at him, "I don't know what's so funny, and I don't care." Naruto turned back to his bowl with a smile, "I've got food!" Naruto smiled, slurping down another mouthful, Jiraiya looked at him with a small frown.  
Naruto drank the broth from the bowl, happily holding it up in the air.  
"Hit me chef! Seconds on that ramen!" Naruto called out to Teuchi, Teuchi nodded with a smile. "Okay!"  
"Heh." Jiraiya smiled down at Naruto.

A collection of bowls piled up stood in front of Naruto, Naruto held his stomach as he let out a loud burp. "Ah..." Naruto let out a pleased sigh,  
"Oh man, I'm stuffed. Thanks a bunch, pervy sage-HUH?!" Naruto turned his head over to the side, but Jiraiya was gone. Naruto held his hands on his head, "HE LEFT?!" Naruto screeched,  
Ayame giggled, holding her hand out.  
"Thank you!" She tilted her head with a smile. Naruto gasped.

Naruto groaned as he left, a hand in his pocket, the other holding his empty frog wallet. He sighed as he looked down at it. "I've never seen anything so empty..." Naruto hung his head low as he put it back in his pocket.  
"So, are you full now?" Jiraiya called out to Naruto, leaning his back against a wall. Naruto jumped, turning back on his heel as he looked at Jiraiya. "AHHH!" Naruto shouted, raising a fist. "QUIT YOUR MESSING AROUND!"  
Naruto ran up to his, flailing his fists in the air.  
"You were supposed to treat me to that meal!" Naruto cried out, Jiraiya looked down at him with a smile, his hands on his hips.  
"You fool. I never said I'd treat you." Jiraiya chuckled, "Gah!" Naruto jumped up, punching Jiraiya weakly in the chest.  
"But you're supposed to!" Naruto cried like a baby, "You're the grown up!"  
Jiraiya smiled down at Naruto,  
"Say, Naruto. Do you happen to have a person that you like?" Jiraiya asked, "Huh?" Naruto looked up at him, his head tilted slightly. "I asked if you had a special someone, you know, someone close to you." Jiraiya asked again, Naruto gulped, his face starting to turn red. "W-Well...I don't know...I mean...kind of..." Naruto stammered, taking a step back.  
"I guess you could say I like them." Naruto grinned, Jiraiya leaned in, his hands on his hips.  
"So, who is it?" Jiraiya asked, Naruto jumped. "N-No one! Just (Y/N)!"  
Jiraiya tried his best not to laugh, holding his hand over his mouth.  
"Okay! Ha! Let's go see them!" Jiraiya grinned, pointing at Naruto. Naruto jumped,  
"Because you're going to give them a big hug!" "WHHAAAAA?!" Naruto screamed, clenching his fists, his face bright red.  
"This is part of my training?!" Naruto asked, his eyes wide open. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's close enough." Jiraiya shrugged. "Yes! Alright! Let's go!" Naruto turned on his heel, but he stopped midway.  
"But...if I do hug them, (Y/N) will-" Naruto gulped, "No!" He clenched his fist, "This is part of my training too!" Jiraiya tapped his chin, "I have to do it! I have to be strong!" Naruto nodded to him self, "B-But of course, I'm also gonna be black and blue...and (Y/N) won't want to talk to me for a while...but still! If I want to learn how to do the summoning jutsu right, then this can't be helped! But (Y/N)'s gonna...No! But...then again..."  
"Just go already!" Jiraiya shouted, pushing Naruto forward.  
-

"What is it, Naruto? I really need to get back soon." I asked him, my arms crossed. Naruto gulped, his face bright red.  
"Um...well...you see..." Naruto stumbled over his words, I squinted my eyes at him.  
"Look, if you're not going to say anything, I'm gonna go." I gave him a small shrug, Naruto shook his head.  
"N-No, that's not it, it's just I, uh-" Naruto paused, looking down at the ground, _aw man. How can I say this? If I tell them it's for my training, I'll get wailed on for sure._ Naruto gulped,  
"Whatever." I sighed, turning away from him, I started to walk away. "N-No! No! Wait a minute!" Naruto jumped, his hand plopped down on my shoulder as I tried to take another step, pulling me back. I gasped, spinning on my heel as I tried to get my balance back. I fell forwards towards Naruto, my eyes widening as my face moved closer to his.  
Naruto's eyes sparkled as he held out his arms. _This is it! This is my chance!_ Naruto thought with a big smile, Jiraiya peered around the corner, watching me fall into Naruto.  
 _Here I come (Y/N)!_ It was too quick for me to react, I screeched as my chest hit Naruto's, he started to fall back along with me. My forehead whacked into his, our noses crunching together as our lips touched. Naruto fell to the ground first, I cried out as I pulled back up on top of him, spitting and wiping my mouth to the side.  
"Blah!" I coughed, "It's worse than the tea!" I shook my head, shivering as I rolled to the side. "Huh?" Naruto sat up on the ground, his face bright red. I spat on the ground, standing up as I continued to wipe my mouth. Naruto stood up with me, I shot him an angry glare, he jumped.  
"You!" I seethed, clenching my fist, I pulled my arm back. Sending a strong punch into Naruto's face. Naruto flew back, blood spewing from his nose as he hit the ground. I growled as I turned away from him, stomping back down the street.  
Jiraiya chuckled, "Ooh, what a punch." Jiraiya gave a small sigh, "Ah, young love."  
-

Naruto held the side of his face as he continued to walk, following Jiraiya close behind.  
"Hey, if I do this, can I really summon a frog?" Naruto asked with a sigh, Jiraiya nodded. "You bet. Of course, absolutely, without a doubt." Jiraiya nodded, Naruto tilted his head. "Are you sure?" Naruto asked again.  
Jiraiya stopped in the middle of the road, Naruto looked up at him.  
"Is there anything else you've always wanted to do?" Jiraiya asked, his arms crossed. "Huh?" Naruto wondered, Jiraiya turned around to him. "Anything?" Jiraiya asked again,  
"What? What are you-" Jiraiya dug his fist into Naruto's stomach, Naruto bent over having the wind knocked out of him, he toppled down to the ground, unconscious. Jiraiya looked down at him, a frown on his face.  
 _To tap into his enormous chakra and use it, I'm sure that it's extremely difficult to control that kind of power._ Jiraiya thought, bending down to him. _It's also true that Naruto's body is too small a vessel to contain the nine-tails power. It's likely that because that chakra puts such a burden on it, Naruto's body normally suppresses it._ Jiraiya picked up Naruto by the collar, pulling him closer, he slung Naruto over his shoulder, like a sack of flour.  
 _If the key to drawing out the nine-tailed fox's chakra is danger and emotion, he has to physically experience them until he can learn to summon the chakra on his own._ Jiraiya thought, continuing to walk down the path.  
 _Please forgive me for what I'm about to do, fourth Hokage._

I gasped.  
 _I completely forget about today's training!_ My eyes widened as I stopped in the middle of the road. _But, what Naruto did!_ I raised the same fist I used to punch him, letting out an aggravated growl.  
 _Even so, I might be able to get the pervy sage to teach me something new._ I crossed my arms. _Where were they going anyway? Naruto called me away from the waterfall, it looked like they were heading to the forest._ I tapped my chin, _but which one? The one with the ravine or the one that leads to the village border?_ I let out a long sigh, slumping my shoulders. _Well, the one with the ravine is closer, but we've never gone there before. Why would pervy sage want to go there now? Besides, I doubt there's any girls there._ I turned around, walk back the way I came. _Well, there's no harm in checking._

Jiraiya threw Naruto down on the ground, he let out a loud groan as he woke up. Jiraiya watched him climb up to his knees.  
"W-Where...where are we?" Naruto asked, rubbing his eyes as he looked around. "Tell me." Naruto called out, Jiraiya stood in front of him. "Stand up." Jiraiya called out, "What?" Naruto groaned, rising to his feet. "What's going on?" Naruto asked, his head tilted.  
"Your training ends right here." Jiraiya said with a nod, his hands on his hips. "Wha-!" Naruto raised a fist, furrowing his brow. "Huh?! But I haven't even done anything yet!" "Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted, calling for his attention.  
"Starting now, you must stare death in the face." Jiraiya called out, "Death?" Naruto tilted his head,  
"That's right. To stave off the horror of death, you must release enormous chakra." Jiraiya explained with a nod, Naruto looked up at him with a confused expression. "Once you've experienced that, you'll understand how to release the red chakra." Jiraiya explained.  
"Oh, there they are." I said to my self, looking at them from afar. I started to run closer to them, Kale let out a low hiss as he woke up, banging against my chest as I ran. I waved to them as I came closer, Naruto's eyes widened.  
"Oh, hey, (Y/N)'s-" "Naruto." Jiraiya called for his attention again, Naruto looked back up at him.  
"If you don't wish to die, do something about it." Jiraiya called out, a serious tone in his voice.  
" **Now.** "  
Jiraiya gave Naruto a strong push to the chest, sending him flying backwards down the face of the cliff. Naruto let out a loud scream.  
I gasped as I watched Jiraiya push Naruto down, "Hm?" Jiraiya turned his head to me running, "(Y/N)-!" "KALE!" I screamed, Kale let out a loud his, slithering across my arm, he extended like a rope, coiling down to catch Naruto, Jiraiya quickly grabbed onto Kale, throwing him to the side. I ran off the edge of the cliff, diving straight off.  
"NARUTO!" My scream echoed around the ravine, Jiraiya jumped, catching me by my ankle. I growled.  
Jiraiya peered down at me. I was hanging upside down, gritting my teeth as I bended my head up, my eyes stinging as I glared at him.  
Jiraiya pulled me up, flinging me backwards onto the ground. "Naruto!" I cried out, "(Y/N), stop. This is a part of his training. Let him go, he can get back up himself!" Jiraiya shouted at me. I stared down into the pitch black ravine.

Naruto's shrieks echoed around the ravine as he continued to fall, gritting his teeth as he looked around.  
 _If I don't grab onto something, I'll die!_ Naruto gulped, quickly sending chakra to his hands, he desperately tried to hold onto the rocks on the side. He tried to get a grip on the rock, but his hand slipped off, sending him down deeper.  
 _It's impossible, Naruto. You have to recognize that._ Jiraiya gritted his teeth, watching as Naruto continued to fall. I shook my head. _The rocks are too slippery, and falling at that speed with the limited control of chakra that you possess, you can't possibly cling to the rock. Naruto, you must see it. You must depend on the chakra of the nine-tailed fox!_

Sweat beaded on Naruto's forehead, dripping off his skin in front of him. Wind whisked against him, pushing his golden spiky hair up. Goosebumps rose all over Naruto.  
 _I-If I continue like this, I really am going to die!_ Naruto's eyes widened, his head beating rapidly. _Die..._ Naruto's breathing was quick and uneven, shallow breaths making his chest feel tight.  
 ** _Die!_**  
-

"Today's history class will be outside." Iruka began with a smile, looking down at the class. "As you all are aware," Iruka turned his head behind, motioning his arm up, "On this rock face are the sculptures of all the hokage. They're on order from the left." Iruka nodded, pointing them out to the class, "There's the first, the second, the third, and then the fourth." Iruka counted them out.  
Konohamaru giggled as he looked up at the faces, _the old man sure looks different up there then he does now._ Konohamaru thought with a toothless grin. _I mean, he used to have hair!_  
"Iruka-sensei, so who's the fifth hokage?" A little girl asked, tilting her head. Iruka smiled down at her.  
"Hm? Hm..." Iruka tapped his chin, "That hasn't been decided yet." Iruka shook his head with a grin, "But...maybe it'll be your favorite teacher!" Iruka laughed, pointing his thumb up at himself.  
"Heh. Working in an occasional joke to make for an engaging history lesson, eh, Iruka?" Sarutobi called out, Iruka jumped, his face turning red as he rubbed the back of his neck.  
"Lord Hokage!" Iruka called out with a gulp. "Whoa! It's the third!" A kid called out with awe, looking up at him in the crowd. "Hey old man!" Konohamaru shouted, pointing at him. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a frown.  
"I just wanted to look at the mountain side images, like you students are doing." Sarutobi said with a smile, tapping the end of his pipe.  
"Well, you've come at a great time." Iruka said with a nod, "Would you care to join me?" He asked, motioning toward his side. "Hm." Sarutobi smiled, walking around the ground of kids to Iruka, holding his pipe in his hand.  
"This is the man who's likeness is carved up there on that mountain. He's the great Third Hokage." Iruka explained with a smile and a nod.  
"The Third Hokage was considered the strongest, and even called a genius. He was also called Professor." Iruka smiled, Sarutobi turned to him. "I am still here." He said with a low grumble as he looked at Iruka, "Talk about me in the present tense."  
"Y-Yes! Of course." Iruka chuckled, "Sorry."  
"Come on, are you really that strong? Cause you don't look it." A kid called out from the crowd, Iruka turned to them angrily. "Hey! Stop it! If you're granted the title of Hokage, it means only one thing!" Iruka held a finger up, "It means that you are the strongest in this entire land!"  
"Yeah? Then I'm gonna be the fifth hokage!" A kid shouted back, standing up with a big grin. Iruka laughed, putting his hands on his hips. "Well, you won't make it with the grades you have now."  
The other kids erupted in laughter, Sarutobi smiled down at him. "At least you have confidence!" Sarutobi nodded,  
"Ah, just look at you. You're all so young, unlike me. There might be someone among you who will take the name Hokage. Remember, you have just one life. So, don't choose a road that's impossible. It doesn't matter what you do if you live and die as you like, however..." Sarutobi paused, putting the pipe between his lips.  
"No matter what route you end up taking, remember to protect the people that are precious to you."  
"The people precious to us?" A kid wondered, looking up at him doe-eyed. Sarutobi nodded, "Mm. That's correct. The one's you appreciate the very most and trust and love with all your heart. Do you have people like that in your life?" He asked, the kid nodded.  
"Yeah. My mom and my dad. And my big brother, even though I don't like him very much. Oh, yeah, and my dog Gunta!" The kid nodded, "I have some too, my friends!" Another kid called out, "Yeah, me too!"  
Sarutobi smiled down at them.  
A kid raised his hand, "So, do you have people like that too?" He asked, Sarutobi nodded.  
"Yes, I do. Of course."  
"Who?" A girl asked. "Well, I have my grandson. Konohamaru." Sarutobi smilled, pointing down at him with his pipe. Konohamaru smiled up at him, "And I also have all the people in this village." Sarutobi nodded.  
Iruka smiled as he turned to him.  
-

 _Naruto let out a loud gasp, his eyes widening as he looked around the room he found himself in.  
A dimly lit room with yellow fluorescent lights. Moths flickered around them. Rows and rows of pipes which seemed to go on forever loomed above him. One of the pipes had a large gash, dripping water down. The entire place was flooded, Naruto standing ankle deep in water as he looked around. The bottom legs of his pants were soaked.  
Each drip of water sent ripples sending through.  
"What?" Naruto called out in a small whisper, his voice quietly echoing around. As he moved, the water swirled. "Huh?" He wondered, looking around.  
A loud growl echoed around, Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the sound, his heart beating fast as he turned to the dark hallway.  
Naruto continued to walk, the water sloshing around his feet. He turned a corner, following the loud cries. This feeling, Naruto thought, shocked. It's that red chakra again. Naruto shivered as he continued to walk closer.  
A sudden bright light came into view, Naruto picked up his pace, moving closer and closer, the growls and roars getting louder and louder until Naruto found himself in front of a large metal gate, tall, menacing iron bars stood in front of him.  
"W-What is this?" Naruto gasped as he looked up at the gate, his head tilted to the side. A large seal holding the gate closed, Naruto gasped as he looked up at it.  
Red piercing eyes glared down at Naruto, Naruto shook slightly as he stared into the eyes of the beast. Red chakra pouring thick into the air, what is this? Naruto thought with a gulp, I-It's huge!  
"Come closer, little boy..." The voice came out in a heavy growl, Naruto took cautious steps closer to the gate, his legs shaking with each step he took. He kept his eyes on the beast.  
"Um..." Naruto began, the fox slammed the front gate, it's large claws poking out. "GAH!" Naruto shouted, startled, he fell backwards into the water. Soaking the back of his orange jumpsuit.  
"How wonderful it would be in finally kill you, but this accursed gate confines me. It's that infuriating sealing spell." The beast growled angrily, Naruto looked up at it, laying flat on his back.  
"Y-You're...you're the...nine-tailed fox!" Naruto climbed up to his feet, his arms crossed. "Of course. The red chakra is this guys chakra." Naruto thought out loud with a nod.  
"Why are you here foolish boy?! What do you want? Or have you simply come to offer yourself to me, so I may feast upon your marrow?" The beast snapped, "Huh? Hm." Naruto squinted his eyes at the fox, tapping his foot on the ground.  
"All right, look, you stupid fox, you're in my body, and you owe me rent!" Naruto shouted up at it with a grin, "So, for payment, I'll take your chakra! You got that?" Naruto called out, his hands on his hips.  
The fox chuckled menacingly, "Well, I suppose I can't kill you, can I? After all, if you die, I die. Your courage is most impressive, little boy." The fox said, looking down at Naruto. It's chakra leaked out from underneath the gate, circling around Naruto's body. "Huh-GAH!" Naruto shouted as I squeezed around his body tightly.  
"Very well. As a reward for making it this far, I will loan you my chakra."_

Naruto gasped as he opened his eyes, _this is it!_ He thought, sinking his front teeth into his thumb, blood sprayed upward. Naruto moved his hands quickly, shouting as he made the hand signs. Spreading his legs, he shouted,  
" **Summoning jutsu!** "  
Smoke erupted in the cavern, blowing out the top. Loud crashed shook the sides of the ravine, a large silhouette peeking through the smoke, Naruto had a wide goofy grin as he continued to fall right into it.  
Jiraiya smiled down at the ravine. "Well done kid."

Naruto bounced on Gamabunta's head, quickly holding on. "What's this?!" The large toad shouted, his voice echoing around. "Where in the world am I?!" Gamabunta seethed, looking around at the ravine's walls angrily. He let out a loud, agitated shout.  
Naruto laughed down at him.

 _To be continued..._


	56. The Chief Toad Appears!

"Naruto?!" I shouted down into the ravine as I leaned off of the cliff, Jiraiya stood close behind. I squinted my eyes, looking down at huge toad back.  
Naruto answered back with a loud groan, laying flat on his back. "Are you okay?" I asked, calling out to him again.  
"Yeah, I'm okay. Of course, I could've done without the falling on my neck part." Naruto groaned as he sat up, rubbing the side of his neck with a sigh.  
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened as he looked around the giant toads back. "Look at that!" He exclaimed with a smile, "Awesome!" He laughed, I gave a relieved sigh.  
"Man, that is humongous!" Naruto grinned, as he stood up on his knees. "Wait a minute, hold on here." He mumbled to himself, crawling along the toads back. He squinted his eyes as he tried to make his way through the darkness.  
"Huh? What's that?!" Naruto shouted as he looked at one of the ravine's walls, two large feet were holding onto the jagged rock side.  
"This is...a toad? Isn't it?" Naruto tilted his head, continuing to crawl around. He stood on top of Gamabunta's head, holding a hand over his forehead as he looked down.  
"Let's see here..." He mumbled, "Ha!"  
"There's no tail there!" Naruto shouted, it echoed around him. "Ha! I did it!" Naruto grinned, jumping up and down.  
"It's really a real toad!"

Jiraiya chuckled quietly, I turned my head up to him. _Looks like he's released the chakra of the nine-tailed fox all on his own this time._ Jiraiya thought with a smile, I squinted my eyes up at him. _But still, I certainly can't say that he's proficient at it yet. He overdid it with the chakra's power, and to summon him of all things-_ Jiraiya's smile suddenly dropped.  
"Ha!" Naruto laughed, patting the top of Gamabunta's head. "I finally pulled it off!"  
" ** _Why you little snot!_** "  
Gamabunta shouted, the walls of the ravine shook. Naruto yelled as he went rolling down, landing on Gamabunta's nose.  
"You little snot! Who's head do you think you're dancing around on anyway?!"  
Naruto struggled to keep his balance, sliding around.  
"Well, let me tell you! I am the wise and powerful Lord Gamabunta, the Cheif Toad, and you're an idiot!" Gamabunta knocked Naruto off of his nose, Naruto shouted as he flew backward, hanging off the tip of Gamabunta's pipe.  
"Ah, what is this guy?!" Naruto groaned, "He seemed cool, but give me a break here-!"  
The pipe flew up into the air, Naruto hung down, desperately holding onto the pipe as Gamabunta balanced it on his tongue.  
"Just when I finally get to breathe some fresh air again, I find some weird kid tap dancing on my head!" Gamabunta shouted out, "Hey, Jiraiya! Where are you, Jiraiya?! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Gamabunta shouted out.

"Uh oh." Jiraiya mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. I learned a little farther off the edge, watching Naruto hang from the edge of the pipe.  
"Hey, pervy sage," I began, turning my head around, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Huh?" I tilted my head slightly.  
Jiraiya hid behind a tree, his palms against the bark. _This doesn't look good,_ Jiraiya thought with a sigh, _not even I am able to handle Gamabunta. I mean, he's a real handful._ He thought, scratching the back of his neck.

" _ **Jiraiya!**_ " The same loud voice boomed out of the ravine again, shaking the walls with each breath.  
"Show yourself, you buffoon!" Gamabunta roared, I took a small shuffle back from the edge.  
Jiraiya let out a loud sigh, I turned my head back to him. He slowly started to walk away from the tree, his hands clasped behind his back. "It would be a pain in the neck if he found me out..." Jiraiya said with a nod,  
"So, I better hightail it out of here while I still can." "Hey! You wait a minute!" I shouted, standing up with my finger pointed towards Jiraiyas back.  
"I came to ask you about you teaching me a new technique!" I started to walk closer, "Listen kid, I've really gotta-"  
"You're Jiraiya, right? The person that huge toad's been calling out for? It seems he really needs to have a word with you, I bet he would just be thrilled if I pointed him in the right direction." I crossed my arms, grinning over at Jiraiya.  
Jiraiya let out a long aggravated sigh as I came closer.

Gamabunta let out a loud groan, moving the pipe backward, Naruto dangled just above his face.  
"Hey, little snot." Gamabunta called out to him, Naruto tilted his head as he looked down at him. "Um, yeah?" Naruto gulped, "Where's Jiraiya hiding?" Gamabunta asked, squinting his eyes as he tried to focus on Naruto.  
"Huh? Who's this Jiraiya? I don't know any-!"  
Gamabunta shook the pipe, knocking one of Naruto's hand off as Gamabunta moved closer.  
"Don't play dumb!" Gamabunta roared, Naruto shouted as his fingers started to weaken, flailing in the air.  
"I'm talking about that lecher who calls himself the Toad Sage!"  
Naruto fell down on Gamabunta's nose with a loud cry, landing down on his back.  
"Now where is he?! Well?!" Gamabunta commanded, Naruto held his back as he sat up, a wide frown on his face.  
 _Man, he's scary._ Naruto thought, his eyes widening as he looked up at him.  
"Look, I'm giving you an order. If you follow it, I'll even consider making you my henchmen. So,  
 ** _Hurry up and answer me!_** "  
"Okay! Okay!" Naruto shouted back, "If you're talking about the pervy sage, he's on the cliff up there, Cheif Toad!" Naruto said with a gulp, pointing upward.  
"Up there?" Gamabunta mumbled, moving his head upward as he looked at the cliff above.  
"Um...can I ask you one question, sir toad, sir?" Naruto tilted his head, Gamabunta's eyes rolled back to him.  
"What is it?" Gamabunta answered back, "What business do you have with that pervy sage anyway?" Naruto asked, his arms crossed.  
"That's the very same question I want to ask that pervert!" Gamabunta roared back, "I mean, what in the world does that fool want of me?! Summoning me to a dank place like this!"  
"Oh! But, uh-!" Naruto stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. "What now?" Gamabunta sighed,  
"Well, actually, heh, the funny thing about that is I'm the one who summoned you. Well, you see, I fell off the cliff, and I thought that maybe you could rescue me. So, thanks, boss!" Naruto flashed Gamabunta a smile,  
" _ **Whahaahahahaha!**_ "  
Gamabunta's laugh shook the walls violently, pieces of rock fell out of place, tumbling down deeper into the ravine.  
"Give me a break! What does a puny little kid like you know about that? There's no way a little squirt like you could have enough power to summon up a being like me!"  
"Huh?!" Naruto leaned in, his eyes wide. "No, no, it's true! It's true!" Naruto flailed his hands around, "I mean! I really, truly, did summon you!"  
Gamabunta let out another earth-shattering chuckle, Naruto furrowed his brow, clenching his fists as Gamabunta continued to laugh.  
"KNOCK IT OFF, YOU TOAD JERK!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs,  
"Hmm?" Gamabunta squinted his eyes down at Naruto, Naruto stood up, raising his fists.  
"You've been talking down to me and saying whatever you want since you first got here! But I'm the one who summoned you, and that means I'm your master! You have to start respecting me and doing what I say! You got that, Toad?!"  
"Hmmmmm?" Gamabunta rolled his tongue, "What was that?"  
"You've got some nerve! Who do you think you're talking to?! A meaningless little squirt like you, barely old enough to stand, and you dare say to Lord Gamabunta, the Cheif Toad, that you're his master?! **That's it!** "  
"Huh?"  
Naruto snapped his head around, watching as Gamabunta's tongue came flying down towards him. He cried out as it wrapped around him. The tongue moved up into the air, sending Naruto flying back, tumbling down Gamabuntas back. Naruto desperately grabbed on, holding as lightly as he could onto Gamabunta's back as he started to move.  
Pieces of rock shattered as Gamabunta moved, sinking each footstep into the walls of the ravine as he moved upwards, arching his knees as he stared up at the sky. Naruto continued to scream as Gamabunta launched himself upward.  
Naruto's face smashed down into his back as he flew upwards, curving in the air like a thrown ball.  
Gamabunta started to jump down, Naruto almost lost his grip, kicking his legs around as they started heading back down onto the ground.

Gamabunta landed in the middle of the forest, sending a strong gust of wind, moving like a wave through the forest. Trees pushed back, some breaking from their roots as the winds brushed past. Gamabunta sunk into the ground, sending bits of rubble flying up.  
The girls by the waterfall screamed as strong waves splashed against them, being thrown back by the strong winds.  
Jiraiya was out of breath, balancing on a high tree branch.  
"Let me go!" I shouted, wiggling underneath his arm. He dropped me down on the tree branch, I sent him a furious glance as I got to my feet. Jiraiya had moved just in time.  
I crossed my arms, looking over at Gamabunta, Jiraiya turned his head around as well.  
"Well, it looks like he reached the top, thanks to Gamabunta." Jiraiya mumbled, "So, that's his name." I said with a small sigh.

"AH!" Naruto shouted as he tumbled off of Gamabunta, landing on the ground in front of him. Naruto scrambled up to his feet, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Whoa..." Naruto mouth was wide open,  
"That was awesome..."  
Gamabunta let out a short chuckle, looking down at Naruto.  
"I hate to tell you this, little snot, but even if I were willing to believe that you were actually the one who summoned me, and trust me, kid, that's a really big if, if you're the kind of guy who could fall off my back that easily, then there's no way I could ever accept you as my master! You got it?! Hmm?! Hmm?!"  
Gamabunta angrily growled out, pushing Naruto back a few feet with his nose.  
"Now," Gamabunta called out, sitting up straight. "Since I'm back in the world, after such a very, very long time, if Jiraiya doesn't need me, I'm going for a walk."  
Gamabunta turned his back on Naruto, starting to walk the other way.  
"No! Wait!" Naruto cried out, Gamabunta stopped for a moment.  
"Listen, why don't you just get out of here and go home? It's clear that you are incapable as serving as my henchman! Heh!"  
Gamabunta chuckled as he started to walk away, leaving a path of broken trees and large footprints behind. Naruto clenched his fist, shouting as he started to run after Gamabunta, climbing his back with ease, Naruto jumped over his head, landing on the top of his nose, dead center in his face.  
"What?! What do you suppose you're doing now?!"  
Gamabunta shouted,  
"Fine! If making you respect me depends on me staying on your back, well then-" Naruto plopped down, sitting with his legs crossed on Gamabunta's nose,  
"I'll just make sure I don't get off your back the rest of the day, no matter what!"  
"What?!"  
Gamabunta growled furiously, Naruto crossed his arms.  
"That's right! And when I do, you'll have no choice but to recognize me as your undisputed master! Humph!"  
"You really are a snot! Fine, if that's what you want, but don't think I'm going to go easy on you!"

"Ha! This is getting pretty interesting!" Jiraiya said with a grin, sitting down on the tree branch with a pair of binoculars. He watched as Gamabunta swung his head around, desperately trying to knock Naruto off.  
I sat next to him, dangling my legs off.  
"Hey, let me get a look." I called out, he passed me the binoculars, watching Naruto hang off of Gamabuntas nostril.  
A loud shrill laugh sounded below, "Huh?" Jiraiya turned looked down,  
"Ha! Stop!" One of the waterfall girls cried out, "You've got leaves in your hair!" Another giggled, "Stop! Ha! It tickles!"  
"Hey, give me those," Jiraiya quickly snatched the binoculars out of my hands, moving his head down.  
"Tch, pervert," I mumbled, standing up on the branch. "Don't you remember? Yesterday you told me about a new technique! So what is it? Spill the beans, grandpa!" I shouted at him,  
"Shh!" Jiraiya waved me off, "Why don't you go over there and help your boyfriend with Gamabunta?" Jiraiya called back, climbing along the branch to get a better look.  
"He's not my boyfriend!" I shouted back, stomping on the tree branch, "Quiet down already, I'll teach you the technique tomorrow."  
Jiraiya mumbled, I let out a loud sigh.  
"Fine." I sighed, jumping down from the tree branch.  
-

"I am going to eat until I can't eat no more!" Choji called out a victorious cry, Shikamaru stalked behind him with his hands in his pocket, Asuma by his side as they entered Yakiniku Q.  
Kankuro leaned on the porches railing, his arm dangling off the side. "Heh. Those guys are eating barbeque again." Kankuro chuckled, "Giving themselves a reward for training so hard, I guess."  
"Hey! I thought you were told _not_ to let Gaara out of your sight, Kankuro." Temari snapped back, leaning on a wall with her arms crossed.  
"Oh, don't worry." Kankuro gave her a small shrug,  
"Even someone like him wouldn't dare to do anything in broad daylight." Kankuro turned his head over to Temari, pointing the palm of his hand upward.  
"But about you. That guy, Shikamaru, or whatever his name is, he's the first guy you're fighting, right? Shouldn't you be formulating a battle plan?" Kankuro asked smugly, crossing his arms. Temari looked away from him,  
"Huh!" Temari scoffed, "There's no way I would lose to a guy who's at that level. No way."  
"You blew it, didn't you." Kankuro called out, tilting his head slightly. "What?" Temari looked over at him, surprised.  
"If you had taken the exam a year earlier, then you would have made chunin easily, right, Temari?" Kankuro said with a shrug,  
Temari turned her head away,  
"Don't say that." She mumbled, closing her eyes. "You remember why we're here."  
Kankuro let out a loud yawn,  
"I'm bored." Kankuro groaned, "The day sure does go by slowly when you're not doing much of anything." Kankuro sighed,  
"I guess." Temari shrugged.  
-

I sighed, pulling myself up the stairs. I hung my shoulders low,  
"What do you think we should have for dinner tonight Kale?" I asked him, a few steps away from the front door. "Kale?" I called to him again, still no answer. He was loosely hanging around my neck,  
"Are you still mad at me?" I crossed my arms, standing in front of the door. "Hey, I didn't know what was going on. I thought that pervy sage was trying to kill Naruto or somethin-"  
Kale cut me off with a low hiss, my eyes widened. "What do you mean? You hear something?" I whispered, looking back down the dark staircase, "I don't understand...inside?" I took a step closer to the stone door, leaning my ear to it.  
"Wait...yeah...I think I do hear somethin..." I nodded, "It's like...sand?" I wondered aloud, Kale moved his head up, slithering down my arm.  
"You're right, it might be the person leaving the cards." I nodded back to Kale.  
I slowly opened the front door, being as quiet as I could, I opened the door only a crack. I slipped in, quietly closing it behind me. It was dark, none of the lights had been turned on. Only slithers of light cracked through the darkness, but not enough to see anything.  
 _It's a lot earlier than I usually come home,_ I thought, sticking to the wall. _They must of found out which times I usually go out in the day, that's when they sneak in and leave the cards._ My eyes slowly started to adjust to the darkness, Kale moved over my left foot, circling around my leg as he scanned the room. _I wonder if he can see them, the sound seemed to have stopped._  
I started to side step, laying my palms flat against the wall, I moved along it. Kale moved his head to the side as if he was calling out which direction for me to go in, I followed. Heading closer to my bedroom, my eyes widened as I looked at the door.  
It was opened by only a crack. _I closed that door in the morning, before I left the house to go see Lee. I'm sure of it._ I stared at the door, lost in thought. Kale plopped back down on the floor, making a beeline straight for my bedroom door.  
I followed close behind, pushing through the crack in the door.  
I paused. My back faced the door as I stared directly at my bedside table. A lit candle stared back at me.  
It's dim light floated around the room, Kale had already made it onto the table, nudging the card underneath the candlelight.  
I quietly walked over to it. _None of the candle wax has melted yet_ , I thought as I looked down at it. _The candle had just been lit...if that's so, could they still be in the house?_  
I quickly turned around, spinning on my heel, I rushed to the bedroom door, taking the candle along with me. But I was too late.  
The front door was wide open.  
"Dammit." I said with a heavy breath, Kale moved closer to me with the card in his mouth, nudging me with the edge. I looked down at him, crouching as I took the card from his mouth.  
I plopped down on the ground, placing the candle on the floor next to me. I held the card above the lit candle, squinting my eyes as I stared down at the pitch black ink.  
 _Thursday._  
"What the heck?" I wondered aloud, tilting my head. Kale tilted his along with me. "' _Thursday_ '? What's happening Thursday?" I mumbled, chucking the card to the side. "Ugh," I let out a loud sigh, "There's just too much mystery surrounding this thing, isn't there Kale?" I called out to him, rubbing the side of his face with my thumb.  
"Hmm. Thursday." I mumbled, "Eh, whatever." I shrugged, Kale silently moved, turning his back to me, he climbed up the leg of the kitchen table, looking back at me from a higher angle, I raised my brow.  
A quick flash of red, sparkled in his eyes, I tilted my head slightly.  
-

"Good work, Baki."  
His voice ran around the dimly lit room. The Kazekage sat behind a thin blind screen, his face covered completely by the dark shadows overhead. Two of his supporters sat beside him, shoulder to shoulder, two others outside of the blinds with their attention set on Baki.  
Baki sat on his knees in the middle of the room, his head down as he bowed down in front of him.  
"Thank you, Lord Kazekage." Baki called back, his head staying down. "I successfully moved all three pawns into the final rounds as planned."  
"Hm. And the pact with the sound village has progressed as well?" The Kazekage asked, Baki moved his head up slightly.  
"Yes, sir." Baki paused, grabbing the small scroll behind him. He placed it on the floor, his hand still on it.  
"This scroll contains the details of the sound villages plan." Baki explained, moving his hand back. One of the guards sitting at the side walked up to the scroll, taking it to pass to the Kazekage. He knelt down in front of the screen, clicking it open only a crack, he carefully passed him the scroll.  
"Is there something else?" The Kazekage asked, staring at Baki. "Well..." Baki said quietly,  
"What? Out with it." The Kazekage said brashly, Baki gulped.  
"Yes, sir. I was wondering if you could position soldiers near the border," Baki paused, hanging his head low, "Under the pretext of a tactical exercise. With just the four of us-"  
"The Hidden Leaf Village isn't full of dimwits, and the Anbu are active in that area. If we do what you ask, they'll see right through what we're planning. Everything we've worked toward would be ruined." The Kazekage called out, quickly cutting Baki off.  
Baki shook his head, "But with only our current military capability-"  
"That's why I've sent Gaara and the others. The restoration of the sand villages glory is resting in your hands. Now, go."  
-

The sun was just finally starting to set, Jiraiya sat alone on the edge of a cliff, watching Naruto and Gamabunta's feud.  
The sun dyed the lake's water a dim orange, it sprayed past Naruto as Gamabunta ran through it. Naruto's hands were aching, but he didn't give up.  
 _Just a little longer! It's almost over!_ Naruto thought with a wide smile. He was visibly tired. Scratched and bruises lined his arms and legs, small sticks and leaves were stuck in his hair, and he was soaked head to toe by the lake's water. But he didn't let go.  
"Once that sunsets, and I haven't fallen off, then you're going to be calling my master! Ha!" Naruto shouted out to Gamabunta, Gamabunta let out a loud groan.  
"Never!" Gamabunta roared back, hopping out of the lake and into the forest.  
"I never said I agreed to your deal, did I?!" Gamabunta shouted back,  
"I don't care! I'm not falling off no matter what!" Naruto growled out, digging his fingers a bit deeper in Gamabunta's back.  
 _That Naruto. He's already way past his limit. I wouldn't be surprised if he fell off any minute now._ Jiraiya thought with a frown.  
Naruto was out of breath, laying the side of his face down, flat out on Gamabuntas back.  
 _I suppose that I could simply ignore that little snot._ Gamabunta thought, standing still in the middle of the forest. _But even the thought of losing to him burns me up! There's no way I'm going to let that happen._ Gamabunta let out a low growl, _alright, I'm going to end this once and for all._  
"Hey snot!" Gamabunta called out, moving his head upward, "What is your name? What do they call you?"  
"My name?" Naruto shot his head up, "I told you! Naruto Uzumaki!"  
"Well, listen up, Naruto Uzumaki!" Gamabunta tilted his head down, bending his knees.  
"I hope you don't hold it against me if you **_die!_** "  
Gamabunta shouted, launching himself up into the air once again. Naruto's face smashed down into his back as he screamed.  
Jiraiya shook his head. "Play fair, Gamabunta. This is a matter of pride for Naruto too-AH!"  
Jiraiya jumped back as Gamabunta went flying over him, skidding to the cliff.  
"Huh?!" Jiraiya gasped as he saw Gamabunta land in front of the waterfall.  
"No!" Jiraiya cried out, "That's where all the pretty ladies hang out!"

"Wha! AH!" Naruto shouted as he lost balance, starting to slide down the side of Gamabuntas back. Naruto held on at the edge, gritting his teeth.  
"No way! I'm not going to fall off! Not when I'm so close to winning! No!" Naruto screamed, clapping his hands together.  
Ten of his shadow clones popped out of a large cloud of smoke, all with shocked faces.  
"What?!" Gamabunta roared out, Jiraiya's eyes widened.  
 _Incredible. Even in the condition, he's in the kid's still able to use more chakra. Hm._ Jiraiya thought, squinting his eyes down at him.  
"AHH!" Naruto shrieked as he fell off, his clones darted after him. One locking hands with the other as the real Naruto hung down at the end, like a chain. They pulled one another backup, each disappearing in a puff of smoke as they reached the top.  
"Ha!" Naruto shouted, standing on the top of Gamabunta's head.  
"How do ya like that, chief toad?! I'm still on your back!" Naruto shouted out, jumping up and down like he was on a trampoline, continuing to laugh.  
"Ha! That's right! I beat you! Ha! Heh...ha...eh..." Naruto's legs started to shake, his head turning as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.  
Naruto fell backward, tumbling off the top of Gamabunta's head.  
"No! If he falls like that, he'll die!" Jiraiya jumped up,  
"Hmmm." Gamabunta mumbled, watching Naruto fall down in front of him. He quickly dropped down his tongue, Naruto landed on it, sliding down slightly. Gamabunta rolled him up, picking him up into the air.  
 _Too bad for you, little snot._ Gamabunta thought, looking down at him. _And you almost made it, too._  
"Amazing." Jiraiya said quietly, _he could hold out that long against a tough opponent like Gamabunta._ "Heh." Jiraiya held the scroll in his hand.  
The scroll spun down from the waterfall, rolling in front of Gamabunta. The wind pushed it opening, showing Naruto's signature.  
 _Hm. Naruto Uzumaki, huh. You scandal, Jiraiya._ Gamabunta squinted his eyes down at the scroll, _I am fully aware that this boy summoned me all on his own. He is courageous. It's the first time since the Fourth Hokage that someone had dared to climb on my head. As may be expected after that battle, he looks completely drained from energy. I don't mind giving him some of my power, but I believe that taking him to a place a healing would be best._

 _To be continued..._


	57. Hospital Besieged, The Evil Hand

Lee laid in his bed, I was sitting on a fold-out chair by his bedside, fixing the flowers. He moved his head, the pillow sheet crinkled slightly as he looked over at me.  
"Who taught you to do that?" Lee asked, watching as I arranged the bouquet. "Oh," I mumbled, letting out a small sigh. "Well, when I was younger, I was messing around in class with Naruto." I began, smiling over at him. "Iruka-sensei got so mad, he put Naruto and me in different classes for the day. Ha." I laughed into my hand, "He sent me to the class next door. The teacher decided to bring the class outside and look at all the flowers. It was a long time ago, I can't really remember all of it, but I do remember hanging out with Sakura and Ino all day."  
I nodded, finishing a few small touches, I placed my hands back into my lap.  
"Sakura and Ino. I remember their fight." Lee's voice was soft as he spoke, "They did not look that friendly with each other. They looked like they did not want to spend even one minute in each others company." Lee moved his head back, staring up at the ceiling.  
"It wasn't always like that." My voice came out weak, I hung my head down, staring at my feet. Lee's eyes widened as he looked back at me. I shook my head,  
"It was in the past." I stood up, pushing back the chair. I flashed a smile down at Lee, "You should rest some," I said softly, pulling the blanket closer towards Lee's chin. "You are going?" Lee asked, I nodded. "Yeah, you need as much rest as you can get." I nodded, "You know, I heard some of the doctors talking yesterday. They said that you might be able to get outside soon!" I said cheerfully, "Finally you can get out of this stuffy hospital room."  
I walked towards the room's door, Lee followed me with his eyes. "(Y/N)." Lee called out right before I walked out the door, "What's up?" I asked, turning my head around to him.  
"That nurses outfit suits you." He nodded with a smile, "Heh, you think so?" I smiled, waving as I left the room.

He banged his fists furiously on the door. The wood bent in with each knock, if he knocked a bit harder, he would've broken the door down.  
A crash sounded from inside the house as he continued to pound on the door, hurried steps rushing around the room, towards the front door. "Open up! Now!" Baki commanded furiously, clenching his fists.  
Temari swung open the door, Kankuro by her side. Her eyes were wide as she turned to a furious Baki.  
"What's up? What's all the ruckus?" Kankuro grumbled, scratching the back of his head. Baki gritted his teeth,  
"You idiots!" He seethed, his fists tightly clenched. "Didn't I tell you not to let him out of your sight for a second?!"  
Kankuro and Temari looked at each other for only a second before rushing back into the house. Kankuro sped down the hall, Temari close behind as he swung open Gaara's bedroom door. There was no one in sight.  
"No, no!" Temari shook her head in shock, "Gaara's gone." She gulped. "Yeah, but where?" Kankuro groaned, clenching his fists. Baki walked down the hall behind them, glaring out the window.  
"This is bad. Very bad."  
-

"Nnnn..." I let out a low grumble, staring down at the shogi board, scratching the back of my head. Shikamaru sat across from me with his arms crossed and a small, sly grin.  
I plopped my finger down on a piece, sliding it to another place on the board, gritting my teeth.  
"You really do suck at this game." Shikamaru leaned on his hand, I leaned back in my seat. "Well, I don't study it religiously like you. I've got better things to do with my time." I huffed, turning my head away.  
"Well, if you have such better things to do, why are you sticking around here?" Shikamaru asked, tilting his head slightly. "Shut up, pineapple head." I grumbled, Shikamaru played another piece. I leaned back in, staring down at the board.  
Shikamaru looked over at the hospital bed, Naruto was unmoving.  
"Man. Is he ever going to wake up?" Shikamaru wondered with a sigh, I shrugged, moving another piece. "I don't know, hopefully soon." I mumbled, resting my chin down on the table.  
"Maybe the kid croaked." Shikamaru chuckled, I squinted my eyes over at him. "Well, if he's not going to wake up for the exams, I'm gonna shout that pervy sage's ear off. Pushing him off the cliff like that nearly gave me a heart attack." I complained, my arms crossed.  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Shikamaru turned back to the board, taking one of my pieces along with him. Shikamaru paused, his finger hovering over a piece.  
"Huh? What's the matter?" I asked, raising my brow as I looked over at him. Shikamaru turned his head to the hourglass. "The sand stopped." Shikamaru mumbled, I shifted in my chair. "What's up with that? Did they forget to wind it or something?" I asked, Shikamaru shrugged.  
"It must be." Shikamaru reached out to the hourglass, shaking it as he flipped it back over. The stand stayed still, I tilted my head to the side. "Huh. How bizarre." I thought aloud, looking down at it. "Ugh. What a drag." Shikamaru sighed.

"Gnnn..." Naruto let out a small mumble, groaning as he slowly opened his eyes. "Hey, he's not dead after all." I called out, turning in my seat to face him.  
"Huh?" Naruto whispered, rolling his head to the side. "(Y/N)?" Naruto groaned, "Hey, I'm here too, y'know." Shikamaru waved, Naruto looked over at him.  
"What is this? Where am I?" Naruto asked, looking around the room. "The hospital." Shikamaru answered, "You've been out like this for three days straight." Shikamaru sighed, turning back to the board, he claimed another piece.  
"Three days?" Naruto whispered, pausing.  
" **THREE DAYS STRAIGHT?!** " Naruto shouted, jumping up on top of the bed.  
"Uh, yeah. More or less." Shikamaru's eyes widened as he turned to Naruto, Naruto clenched his fists.  
"When's the final competition begin?!" Naruto cried out, "Tomorrow!" I said with a smile, "It's Thursday today!"  
"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed, "ARE YOU CRAZY?! WHY THE HECK DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER?! AHH!" Naruto shrieked, jumping around the bed.  
"I can't be lying around like this! I've got to be getting ready!" Naruto threw things off the bed. He sent his pillow flying, crashing down into the game of shogi. Shikamaru jumped out of his seat, furious.  
"And pervy sage!" Naruto cried out, turning to me. I stood up as well. "Where's pervy sage?! That old coot's supposed to be supervising my training!"  
"Hey! Calm down, kid! Get a grip." Shikamaru shouted at Naruto, Naruto turned his back to us, rampaging around the room. "Where are my clothes? I've got to get dressed! Where'd they put them?! Where are my clothes?! Oh come on, where are they?!" Naruto continued to freak out, throwing things around the room.  
"Oh man. This kid gives me such a headache." Shikamaru said with a sigh, "Yep. That's Naruto for you." I nodded, smiling with my hands clasped behind my back. "I liked him better when he was in a coma." Shikamaru grumbled, putting his hands on his hips.  
"Would you knock it off?!" Shikamaru shouted out for the last time, Naruto paused instantly. Shikamaru sighed, sitting back in his chair. "Now, listen. You don't want to be freaking out the day before a big competition. Resting can be the best thing!"  
Naruto fell back on the bed, sitting down silently with his back turned to us. "Huh?" I mumbled, tilting my head slightly. "You okay Naruto?" I asked, leaning slightly, I poked him in the shoulder. Naruto turned his head around to us, a big frown on his face.  
"Yeah. I'm really starving here." Naruto sniffled as he turned his head around. "Is that all?" Shikamaru sighed, crossing his arms. "Man, stop scaring me like that." Shikamaru mumbled, looking down at the foot of the bed, he reached his hand out for the fruit basket, holding it up in front of Naruto's face.  
"I went through all the trouble getting this stuff for Choji, and then the doctors told me he couldn't have it. Such a drag." Shikamaru let out a long sigh, placing the basket down on the bed. "But at least we can eat it!" I said cheerfully with a nod.  
"Choji? You mean he's here in the hospital too?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening slightly. "Nothing to worry about." I said, shaking my head. "He ate one short rib too many! Heh!" I smiled down at Naruto,  
"Ha! I should've figured! That's just like him!" Naruto chuckled, "Well, you're lucky I'm around. I practically dragged Shikamaru to the hospital with me." I crossed my arms, leaning back in the chair.  
Naruto grabbed an apple, about to bite in, but he stopped. "What now?" Shikamaru mumbled, "Heheh..."Naruto chuckled, "Let's eat in front of Choji, it'll drive him crazy!" Naruto giggled,  
"Man, that's mean." Shikamaru nodded his head, "I like it." Shikamaru said as he looked down at the fruit basket. Naruto looked back over at me,  
"Hey, (Y/N), I've been meaning to ask." Naruto began, pointing at me with the apple. "Why are you wearing that nurse's uniform?" Naruto asked, "Oh." I shifted slightly in my chair.  
"Well, one of the nurses noticed me coming into the hospital a lot. Well, sneaking into the hospital a lot." I cleared my throat, "Since Lee is under watch so he doesn't leave his room again, the hospital only allows certain people to visit him until he gets into a better condition, which totally sucks." I scoffed, crossing my arms, "Anyway, the nurse said that it's really great that I kept coming to see Lee, but she said I couldn't be sneaking into the hospital anymore. So, she gave me a nurses outfit so I could blend in and visit anyone I like." I explained with a small shrug, Naruto nodded.  
I stood up, stretching my arms up into the air.  
"Well, speaking of Choji, I haven't stopped by to see him yet." I nodded, "And eating the fruit ourselves doesn't seem like a nice plan." I reached over the bed, snatching the basket by its handle.  
"Huh?" Naruto jumped up, "I think I can give it to Choji, I am a nurse after all." I winked, giving Naruto a small smile.  
"What?!" Naruto shouted as I turned away from him, "Here." I mumbled, tossing an apple back at him.  
"Shikamaru, heads up." I tossed him an apple as well before leaving the room.  
-

Sakura stared down at the single white daffodil, her back fingers tapping against the stem. She delicately picked it up with two fingers, resting the bottom of the stem in her other hand as she looked down at it.  
Ino leaned on the desk behind her, watching Sakura look over the flowers with a small grin. Her chin rested in the palm of her hand as she gave an exasperated sigh.  
"You're wasting your time if that's for Sasuke." Ino called out, Sakura jumped slightly, her face flushed as she turned around to Ino. "Heh." Ino chuckled to herself, Sakura got up to her feet. "Ino," Sakura began, holding the flower loosely in her hand.  
Ino held up her index finger, moving it side to side with a few tsks. "So, you haven't heard the news?" Ino asked smuggle, "That he hasn't come back yet?" Ino raised her brow, "Heh, heh. You're a little behind in the curve, aren't you, billboard brow?" Ino giggled,  
"As a matter of fact, I was getting it for Naruto. Hmph." Sakura turned her head away, "Someone here at least cares for their team mates." Sakura said with a frown, taking a step closer to Ino. Ino squinted her eyes at Sakura,  
"Oh? And what exactly do you mean by that?" Ino asked angrily, Sakura gave a small shrug. "Well," Sakura cleared her throat, placing the flower down on the desk in front of Ino.  
"The last I heard, Choji was in the hospital as well. And, Ms. Ino pig, I haven't seen you at the hospital once this entire week." Sakura huffed, Ino clenched her fists.  
"In fact, I've seen (Y/N) at the hospital more than you." Sakura raised her index finger, mocking Ino with a loud tsk.  
"Shut up!" Ino shouted, jumping up out of her seat, "I was just going until I found you prancing around the store, like you own the place." Ino leaned in, her chest pointing towards Sakura.  
"I'm going now," Ino declared, snatching a rose as she walked towards the door. "Don't weigh me down!" She shouted, storming off ahead.  
-

Sakura walked out into the street, holding the daffodil lightly in her arm. The hospital was close by, only a few blocks away. She made it their quickly, but not as quickly as Ino did.  
Sakura went through the hospitals front doors, she stopped midway, her eyes wide. "What the..." Sakura mumbled under her breath, looking around the deserted waiting room. The only sound being the clock ticking over head.  
"Where is everybody?" Sakura wondered aloud, moving over to the receptionist's desk. A clipboard laid on it with a pencil, attached by a string. A card placed above it read aloud,  
 _Back in twenty minutes._  
Sakura raised her brow, looking over the sheet on the clip board. Ino's name was hastily scribbled on one of the lines. Sakura picked up the pencil with a sigh, looking over the sheet as she placed the flower down by her side.  
"Hm." Sakura started to write her name.  
It was dead silent in the waiting room, a bead of sweat ran down Sakura's forehead. She had a pit in her stomach. She started to write faster, finishing her name she moved onto writing who she was visiting.  
The air around was cold, even though it was in the middle of summer. Sakura started to shiver, holding her hand above the paper. She dropped it, spinning around on her heel, her back pressed into the edge of the desk. A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face.  
But there was no one there.  
She quickly snatched the flower from the desk, walking quickly down the hall towards the rooms, she wanted to leave as quick as she could.  
-

"Ughhhh..." Choji grumbled, leaning back in his bed. A tray of dishes by his bed, not a single crumb left on the plate. "I'm still starving..." Choji whined, throwing his head back.  
A knock sounded from the rooms front door, "Huh?" Choji's eyes widened as he heard it, he sat up in his bed, staring at the door. It slowly creaked open, Choji squinted his eyes.  
A cold breeze entered the room, a shiver running down his spine as he stared at the open door. The fruit basket pushed through the crack in the door, I followed it with a smile.  
Choji's eyes lightened up. "(Y/N)! Wow, heh, you scared me there for a minute." Choji chuckled, I walked over to the side of his bed. "Yeah? I probably should've knocked louder." I nodded, putting the basket on the nightstand. Choji's eyes widened as he looked over at me.  
 _(Y/N)...is a nurse?_ He thought, staring at my outfit. I cupped my hands together, "So, Choji, how have you been feeling lately? Getting any better?" I asked with a smile, Choji's face flushed. _Hehehe, alright. This is my lucky day!_ Choji thought with a wide smile.  
"Hm? Oh, no, you look a bit red. I hope you're not catching a fever." I mumbled, taking a step closer to the bed, I lightly placed my hand on his forehead. "You feel a bit warm, here, let me go get a thermometer...huh?" As I started to turn away from the bed, Choji held my wrist, I turned to him. He looked up at me with sparkling eyes,  
He lightly balanced my hand in his, the tips of his fingers on the bottom my wrist, cupping my palm, my fingers were on the top of his. His other hand hovered over the top of mine, I tilted my head slightly.  
"Um...Choji?" I wondered out loud, squinting my eyes down at him.  
"My darling (Y/N)," Choji's voice was sickly sweet, a bead of sweat ran down the side of my face as I stared down at Choji awkwardly, "Um..." I cleared my throat, not knowing what to say.  
"Hi...Choji..." I shrugged, answering him back, "Are you feeling okay?" I squinted my eyes, tilting my head as I looked at him. "I'm better now that you're here, sweetheart." Choji grinned up at me, I blushed, looking down at the ground. "Right..." I mumbled, "I'm going to get a doctor in here, I think you're running a pretty bad fever here..." I said, trying to pull my hand out of his grasp.  
"A fiery fever of love," "It's time to let go of my hand." I said sternly, pulling away from him. Choji sat up, I waved. "No, no, stay." I waved, backing up to the door. When I started to turn, my eyes widened.  
Ino stood in the door way with her arms crossed and the biggest smile on her face, "Ino!" I jumped, taking a step back startled.  
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on you two love birds." Ino waved with a sly grin, I gulped. "Ha, ha, no! You're not intruding! In fact, I bet Choji would love to see you, isn't that right, Choji?" I asked, starting to pull Ino into the room with me,  
"(Y/N), where are you going in such a hurry?" Ino asked, putting her hand on my shoulder, I turned my head around to her. "To, uh, get a doctor! Choji's running a fever, and I..." I pointed my thumb to the door, backing up.  
"I've gotta go." I called out, rushing down the hall, Ino laughed as she saw me run out of the room.  
-

The bedside table shook, the vase of flowers shaking with it. A couple of the wild flowers got knocked loose, falling to the ground, petals trailing. A wind pushed through the open window, blowing the curtains outward over head. The dreary plain white hospital walls looked a bit nicer with the sun light pouring through, but as the wind started to get stronger, the windows clasped shut, the curtain falling back flat along the wall.  
Sharp shadows lined around the further parts of the room, reaching out to the divider. A small glimpse of privacy. As the table shook, the divider started to roll on it's four small wheels, pushing up against the far wall where the bedroom door stood.  
Where the bedroom door stood open.  
Lee was laying still in his bed, fast asleep. An empty medicine cup knocked off from the shaking table, it rolled around on it's side.  
He stepped into the room, taking long staggering steps. He slightly leaned on the door as he walked in, holding the sides of his head. Gaara's vision was blurry as he walked in, stumbling closer to Lee's bed. Gaara gritted his teeth, a violent urge bubbling underneath his skin as he stood there, staring down at Lee with a murderous gaze.  
Lee kept still, small pieces of his dark hair shifted in the small breeze that entered through the bedroom door. Lee's face was relaxed, slightly paler than usual having been kept up in the hospital room. Lee drifted off into a hazy dream, locked between sleep and awake. The medicine was keeping him there.  
Gaara's breathing was harsh, a wheeze that shook his chest, trembling in a violent wave as he stood over Lee. His eyes wide with an insatiable blood lust, consuming his body whole. Blood, that is all Gaara could picture. The crimson red liquid leaking onto the pristine bed sheets. Grains of sand lining the spotted blanket, a mangled corpse of what used to be Lee. Shreds of skin, crushed bones, muscles torn, a meal of carnage soaked in gore.  
It'll be a terrifying shock to everyone.  
The gourd was open, sand floated in the air, reaching out around Lee's body. Pieces falling down onto him, grains leaking across his face as the sand started to incase his body. Gaara reached his hand out, hovering over the bed as he stared down at Lee.  
Gaara's breaths were quicker, his other hand on his face, his nails digging into his skin as he stared down at Lee, at his hand. A messy clump of the white sheets and the brown sand was all Gaara's eyes could see as he started to loose focus. Biting down on the inside of his mouth, he moved his hand, about to clench it into a fist, end it all with one life cutting move.  
But he stopped.  
Frozen in time, Gaara's eyes widened, staring down at his hand. His whole body shook, paralyzed as he stood over Lee. A piercing scream caught his attention, straining his eye to look to the side. In a quick flash of yellow, he was sent flying to the ground.  
Shikamaru cried out, "Watch it!" Shikamaru groaned, taking a staggering step back. Naruto stood in between Shikamaru and Gaara, his fists tightly clenched. Shikamaru was out of breath, rubbing the side of his face as he looked over at Naruto. "Hey, man, go easy." Shikamaru groaned, squinting his eyes over at Naruto, Naruto turned his head around to him. "I'm using my shadow possession jutsu, so when you're bashing him, you're bashing me too. You got it?" Shikamaru groaned, Naruto gulped, rubbing the back of his head.  
"Oh, uh, sorry Shikamaru." Naruto answered back with a nervous smile.  
A crack stretched across Gaara's face, pieces of sand dropping to the floor in little piles. Gaara stood facing Shikamaru, a plain expression on his face as he stood there. Naruto stood next to Shikamaru, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face as he looked over at Gaara.  
Silence broke between them, the only sounds being the wind rushing through the rooms front door and Lee's calm breaths. Naruto clenched his fists, his right hand giving a hollow throb from the punch. Naruto's electric blue eyes sparkled, staring Gaara down furiously. The sand coating Gaara's face grew over the cracks, quickly filling them in. Naruto took a step closer, Shikamaru watched him closely.  
"Out with it, what were you trying to pull?!" Naruto shouted at Gaara, Gaara looked down at him, staying completely still as he mirrored Shikamaru's movements. Gaara's shoulders were slouched more than usual, his palms facing his waist as his back arched in a relaxed posture, mimicking Shikamaru's stance.  
The silence got on Naruto's nerves, he let out a loud aggravated growl, wanting to send another punch flying towards Gaara, but he stopped himself.  
"Well?! Are you gonna tell us what you were gonna do?!" Naruto asked furiously, furrowing his brow. A sharp shadow cut across Gaara's face, the curtain pushed up against the window blocked any light from coming in, and the dim hallways lights only reached the opening on the room. It was dark and cold, sending a shiver up Shikamaru's spine. It felt like the setting in a horror movie.  
Gaara's expression was blank, an unmoving stare as he looked to Naruto, boredom stretched across his face.  
"I was going to kill him."  
Gaara's voice was monotonous, Naruto took a small step back, sweat beading his forehead even though the room was cool. Shikamaru shuffled uneasily, dragging his left foot back, Gaara followed.  
Shikamaru gritted his teeth, his hands slightly shaking. Gaara could see the fear in his eyes shinning back at him,  
 _This guys one cool customer._ Shikamaru thought with a hard gulp, _Look at him. He's not even phased by my shadow possession jutsu._ Shikamaru squinted his eyes down at him,  
"You already beat him once in the competition, what's your problem? Wasn't that enough for you?" Shikamaru steadied himself, standing up straight. "Do you have some kind of person grudge against him or something?" Shikamaru gritted his teeth.  
"He is in my way." Gaara breathed out, his voice a raspy whisper. "It's nothing that complicated," Gaara looked over at them, "I simply want to kill him, that's all."  
" _You know what?! You're sick in the head!_ " Naruto shouted out, pointing an accusing finger down at Gaara. "Yeah. You think we're just going to stand by and let you do whatever you want? You psycho." Shikamaru scoffed, trying to ignore the goosebumps rising on his skin. _This guy gives me the creeps,_ Shikamaru thought with a frown. _There's always been something weird about him. Scary. If he decided to make a move,_ Shikamaru paused, looking over at Naruto,  
 _I'm not sure if we'll be able to stop him._  
"If you don't stay out of my way, I'll have to kill you two as well." Gaara said slowly, a small glint in his eye. Naruto raised a fist in the air, "Oh, really?! Well, let's just see you try it!"  
"Hey! Whoa, kid, take it easy!" Shikamaru shouted back at him, jumping at Naruto's harsh tones. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. Shikamaru gulped as he looked back at Gaara, _the best thing to do is try to bluff our way out of this._  
Naruto growled angrily, staring Gaara down as he put his fist down. "Yeah, yeah. We watched your last match with Lee." Shikamaru said with a small scoff, "We know you're tough. But you know," Shikamaru began, looking over his shoulder at Naruto, "Naruto and I have a few little tricks up our sleeves as well." Shikamaru said confidently, sliding his hands into his pockets, Gaara's hands moved flat to his sides, his wrists bending just like Shikamaru's.  
"We were holding back during the competition. There are things you haven't seen yet." Shikamaru flashed a sly grin, Naruto looked over at him. "On top of that, hey, it's two against one. So don't be a fool, okay?" Shikamaru said calmly, but his heart was still pounding in his chest. "Just take my advice and go. Quietly."  
"I'll say it once more," Gaara began, "If you get in my way, _I'll kill you._ "  
Shikamaru shifted uneasily, biting the back of his tongue. _Okay, plan B._ Shikamaru thought with a small sigh. "Ha!" Naruto shouted out, Shikamaru's eyes widened as he turned to Naruto.  
"And _I'll_ say it again! Let's see you try it!" Naruto shouted out with a loud growl, Shikamaru gritted his teeth, moving his arm to the side. "Back off, will ya?! We don't want to go there!" Shikamaru shouted down at Naruto, Naruto clenched his fists tightly.  
"This guy fights like he's mad. Like he's some kind of demon or something." Shikamaru twisted his neck as he glared down at Naruto, Naruto's fist went down to his side as he flashed a toothy grin.  
"He can act like a demon if he wants to, but you know what?" Naruto pointed his thumb at his chest,  
"I've got the real thing inside of me!"  
-

Sakura stopped in front of the door, reaching out, she knocked on it three times.  
"Naruto? You in there?" She asked, wrapping her hand around the door handle, she opened it only a crack, peering her head in as she pushed through. She gave a long sigh as she stepped into the room,  
"They told me Naruto was in here..." Sakura mumbled, her hands on her hips as she looked at the empty, messed up bed. The pillow crashed down into the shogi board, pieces were all over the floor.  
"From the mess someone made of that bed, he probably was. Heh." Sakura gave a little chuckled to her own joke, leaning on the back wall to take a small rest. "Well, I guess that means he's alright." Sakura said with a shrug, Sakura was about to turn to the door, but stopped as she heard a small noise. She looked down at the table,  
The hourglass was working again.  
"Huh, Naruto must of left quicker then I thought..." Sakura thought out loud with a shrug, walking back into the hall. She stopped as she heard footsteps echoing around the corner.  
"Hm?" Sakura tilted her head, standing still in the middle of the hallway. The footsteps were quick, messy. "Who's there?" She called out, her voice echoing down the corridor.  
"Huh?" I tilted my head, stepping around the corner. "Oh, Sakura! It's so good to see you." I nodded with a smile, "Oh, it's you." Sakura said with a small sigh, a bead of sweat ran down the side of my face. _What does she mean by that?_ I wondered, flashing her a nervous smile.  
"W-Well, uh, I see you've come to visit Naruto too! Heh!" I rubbed the back of my head, looking at Naruto's door half open. "Yeah, but he's no where to be seen. It's not a bit surprise, a hyperactive knuckle head like him can't stay anywhere too long." Sakura said with a small smile and a shrug, I nodded. "You could say that again." I smiled,  
"Naruto and Shikamaru probably went out to see Lee," I said, tapping my chin. Sakura's eyes widened slightly, "Poor Lee, he needs all the rest he can get. But it's also good to have some new faces to see, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten sick of me visiting him everyday yet. Heh." I laughed a little, putting my hand over my mouth, Sakura squinted her eyes down at me.  
"(Y/N)," Sakura began, taking a step closer to me, I tilted my head. "Yeah? What is it Sakura?" I wondered, casually crossing my arms.  
"Those wild flowers you left for Sasuke, a couple weeks back," Sakura began, he gaze shifted downward. My eyes widened, "Um, yeah, what about it?" I shot her a confused glance, "You gave the flowers to him while he was still in the hospital, right?" Sakura continued on, I nodded.  
"So, then, did you talk to him? Did he tell you where he went? Do you know where Sasuke is?" Sakura asked the questions one after another, a worried look stretched across her face. I gulped, waving my hands.  
"Sakura, Sakura, it's okay, calm down." I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Sasuke's just out training with Kakashi-sensei until the exams are up again, nothing to worry about." I nodded, Sakura gave a small sigh of relief. "We talked a little before he left..." I shifted uneasily, thinking back to the day.  
"It's so good to hear that he's alright." Sakura said with a nod, I nodded back. "Yeah. You shouldn't have to worry about that creep, he can take care of himself." I said confidently, my hands on my hips. "Hm, yeah." Sakura mumbled, looking down to her side.  
 _Wow, Sakura really must of been worried. She didn't even try to punch me after calling Sasuke a creep._ I scratched the top of my head, _she must still be thinking of uncle O._  
"Hey, Sakura," I began, softly. She looked back over at me, I stared into her crisp blue eyes.  
"You don't have to worry, not one bit." I nodded, she flashed me a smile, nodding back. "Thank you, (Y/N)." Sakura said with a wave as she started to walk down the other end of the hall, I waved back at her, watching her turn the corner.  
"Few..." I let out a relieved sigh,  
 _Thank goodness that's over, I hope Sakura will be a bit mellower now._ I thought, slowly walking the other way as I headed to Lee's room.  
-

Shikamaru elbowed Naruto in the arm, giving him an angry glance, Naruto didn't look at him, his attention was completely dead set on Gaara.  
"Idiot. Leave this to me." Shikamaru quickly whispered, "What's the point of getting him mad?" Shikamaru called out, slowly turning his head back to Gaara. Naruto gave a low growl, his whole body trembling with anger, the silence between them is what really pissed Naruto off.  
"A demon, huh." Gaara breathed out, "Well, my demon is just as real as yours is." Gaara answered back, Naruto's eyes widened.  
Gaara closed his eyes, a short silence breaking between them.  
"From my birth, my upbringing was not what most people would consider a happy one." Gaara began, Naruto watched him intently. "To ensure that I became the strongest of shinobi, my father has cast his ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit. I destroyed the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster."  
Naruto was trembling as he listened to Gaara, Shikamaru stood by his side, his nerves starting to calm. _A sand spirit?_ Shikamaru wondered, listening to Gaara.  
"It's name is Shukaku, and it's the living incarnation of an old monk of the sand village who'd been sealed up in a jar of tea."  
Sweat beaded Shikamaru's forehead, running down the sides of his face. "Yeah, some kind of demonic jutsu." Shikamaru gave a small sigh, "But to use it on a baby? Before it's even born? Man, that's creepy." Shikamaru shuddered, Naruto looked over at him, and then back at Gaara,  
 _Is it true?_ Naruto wondered as he looked at Gaara, _that he's got one inside of him too?_ Naruto gritted his teeth, his fists tightly clenched.  
"Gee. What a swell guy your dad must of been. He really must of loved you a lot." Shikamaru scoffed sarcastically, relaxing his hands in his pockets.  
"You speak of love." Gaara slowly breathed out, looking up at Shikamaru.  
"The only ties I have to my family are the ones I want to tie around their necks." Gaara said painly, his voice as smooth as a river stone.  
Shikamaru shuffled uneasily, taking a small step back, Gaara did the same.  
"Given life by the death of my mother," Gaara started, his eyes fully open, "I was brought into being and nurtured as the salvation of the sand village. I was the Kazekage child." Gaara gave a small pause, breathing slowly through his nose, grains of sand scattered around the floor beneath him, neither Shikamaru or Naruto notices.  
"My father taught me the innermost secrets of the shinobi. He pampered and protected me and left me to myself. For a time, I thought that was love. And that is when everything started."  
"When what started?" Shikamaru asked with a morbid curiosity, Naruto was lost in thought, staring blankly at Gaara's face. Gaara gave a long pause. "When what started? Are you going to tell us or not?" Shikamaru pressed again, Gaara kept looking down at the ground. "So go on." Naruto called out to him, his voice harsh. "What started? What was it?"  
Gaara raised his head, his eyes wide as he grinned at them, Shikamaru held his breath.  
"Since I became six years old, my father tried to kill me more times than I could count."  
A thick silence grew between them, the atmosphere in the room was heavy, weighing down on Shikamaru and Naruto's shoulders as they tried to stand under Gaara's frightening glares. Even though the air was cold, chill to the bone, they were sweating. Nervous and anxious, afraid of what they would do if Gaara decided to attack. Naruto kept his fists clenched to his sides, squaring up his stance, he watched Gaara intently.  
"Those who get to be too strong are apt to become feared." Gaara continued, breaking the silence in half.  
"The jutsu that gave me birth had unbalanced something in my mind. Even the fools in the village could see I wasn't right. My father, the Kazekage, had created me as his ultimate weapon. But I eventually became a threat to the very village I was meant to save. By the time I was six, I became a figure of terror to the villagers. To them, I was a relic of the past that they wished would disappear."  
Naruto's mouth was ajar, his whole body trembling as he listened to Gaara go on, his hand laying limp by his sides as Gaara continued on. He was in shock.  
"So you see, I had failed at the one purpose for which I was given life. What then was left for me in this existence? Wyhy go on living? For a long time, I couldn't answer that. To go on living for no reason is the same as being dead. But then, it was made clear to me."  
"What is this guy talking about?" Shikamaru mumbled, furrowing his brow as he looked down at Gaara.  
 _I know just what he means, exactly._ Naruto thought, frozen as he looked to Gaara. _He's...he's the same as me._ Naruto thought, a frown spreading across his face.  
 _I was alone too. I didn't know what I was here for, why I was alive. Until (Y/N) and Iruka-sensei came along, they saw what was in me. They gave a purpose, a reason for living. But...but this guy had no one. He had to find the answer on his own, and this is what he came up with...c-could I have ended up like that if..._ Naruto looked into Gaara's eyes, he started breathing uneasily.  
 _We're so different, but we're so close to being the same. N-No...I don't think I can beat this guy!_ Naruto gritted his teeth, walking backwards, trembling. Shikamaru's eyes widened as he saw Naruto back up, he snapped his head around to him. "Hey! Where are you going? What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked, Naruto was shaking like a baby lamb, his eyes as wide as saucers.  
As soon as Shikamaru turned away from Gaara, that's when the sand rose. Naruto shouted, as sand surrounded Gaara, kicking up in wave like motions, grains spraying around the room.  
"HUH?!" Shikamaru jumped, snapping his head around. _He shouldn't be able to do that! Not with my shadow possession jutsu!_ The sand rose into the air, high above their heads,  
"Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted, looking over at him. Naruto was frozen in place, paralyzed with fear. "Hey! Wake up!" Shikamaru shouted out through gritted teeth, a sharp shadow covered Naruto's face. "Oh, man, what a drag!" Shikamaru shouted,  
"Naruto!"  
Shikamaru screamed as the sand came baring down.  
But nothing hit.  
Shikamaru opened his eyes, his mouth wide open as he looked up. I was standing in between them.  
I had kicked the sand down onto the floor, standing there facing Gaara with my fists tightly clenched as I looked up at him with a furious look.  
Guy leaned on the door frame, his arms crossed as he looked into the room, a furious look in his eye. He was right behind me when we rushed into the room.  
Gaara was still, staring at me with a mellow look, a look I couldn't place on his face. I raised a fist to him,  
"What do you think you're doing in here?" I asked angrily, gritting my teeth. "If you came for a fight, I'll-!" Guy put his hand on my shoulder, "That's enough, all of you." Guy said, looking around the room.|  
"Save it till tomorrow. That's when the final competition begins. You're just wasting it today, is that what you want?" Guy's voice boomed around the room, my eyes were glued onto Gaara. He tilted his head slightly, a small smile on his lips. I wanted to punch it off.  
Gaara turned on his left foot, walking towards the front door. He passed me and Guy, my eyes followed him around the room. I could feel Guy's grip become tighter, he could tell I wanted to chase after him.  
Gaara stopped in the middle of the doorframe, looking back at us all one last time before he left.  
Kale's eyes flashed a crimson red.


	58. The Final Rounds! Rush To the Arena!

I held the edge of the scroll, the dark parchment slid between my fingers. The paper was heavy and rough, scratching against my thumb. I read the names on the scroll, and then I read them again. Names without faces.  
My name was the freshest, the blood only just starting to blacken. _(Y/N) (L/N)._  
My name was bold, I traced it with my index finger, moving it like I did my thumb. It was an odd scroll.  
A dark color, I'd never seen a scroll as dark as this one. It was almost unnerving.  
"Hey, (Y/N)," Naruto called out, "Huh?" I turned my head over to him, hunched down on the floor, he was relaxing on his bed, his arms underneath his head.  
"The sun's almost down, you wanna go out and get something to eat?" He asked, sitting up on his bed. I stretched my arms above my head, giving a small sigh as I kicked my legs out, the scroll rolled to the floor.  
"Sure, why not?" I gave a small shrug, quickly rolling the scroll back up. Naruto jumped down to the floor, looking down at the scroll. "You've been staring at that thing for a while," Naruto began, "Oh, yeah, I guess so." I mumbled, standing up. "Who else's on the scroll?" Naruto asked, tilting his head curiously. I paused, looking back at him,  
"No one important." I was lying through my teeth. _I don't need to bring up Uncle O right now,_ I thought, putting my hands behind my back. "Hm. Whatever." Naruto mumbled, he didn't believe a single word I just said. He's good at picking up on things like that. I squinted my eyes at him.  
-

"Tomorrow, huh..." I gave a long sigh, looking up at the sky. It was already dark, the moon was shining down on us. People were walking around main street left and right. It was a festival after all, but this time it felt more real, more serious.  
Naruto and I were sat down at Ichiraku's, I was nervously tapping my foot against the ground, staring down a water glass. Naruto looked over at me with a small frown, "You look pretty nervous. The first fight huh, against that Neji guy." Naruto scratched the top of his head, his spiky hair crunched.  
"Yeah," I nodded, "Opposite of the preliminaries." I added with a small shrug, "You shouldn't worry about it." Naruto slapped a hand down on my shoulder, I looked over at him. He flashed me a grin,  
"I know you can win. You shouldn't doubt yourself!" Naruto nodded, I looked over at him with a smile, his words were comforting, "Well, what about you?" I asked, tilting my head slightly, Kale shifted in his sleep, hanging loosely from my neck. Naruto tapped his chin, "How are you holding up? Think you can take on Shino?" I asked, Naruto's eyes lit up.  
"You think Shino's going to win the first round?" Naruto wondered, I nodded.  
"Of course, Shino's pretty strong. There's no way that sand village guy Kankuro could win against him!" I said confidently, nodding my head. "Hmm." Naruto shifted uneasily in his chair, I jumped.  
"But, of course, Mr. Future Hokage here is going to wipe the floor with Shino! Heh...heh..." I chuckled nervously, rubbing Naruto's back as I tried to encourage him back.  
Silence broke between us. The only sound being the boiling water, Techui was fast to work behind the counter. Ayame, on the other hand was listening to our conversation, leaning over the counter as she wiped it.  
"Well, I haven't seen you two here in a while." Ayame called out, both Naruto and I turned our heads to her, she smiled down at us.  
"Oh, heh!" I smiled back up at her, "I was kinda in the hospital." Naruto said with a wave, "The hospital?" Ayame asked worriedly, I grinned, pointing my thumb over at Naruto. "This guy trained so hard he knocked himself out!" I laughed,  
"I was in the hospital with him, making sure everything was okay." I nodded,  
"Well, that's good." Techui added, holding two bowls in his hands. "Ayame?" He called out, "Huh? Oh!" Ayame called out, turning her head around to him, she grabbed the two large bowls. With a smile she stood behind us, placing them down on the counter.  
"Here you go!" She said enthusiastically, my eyes widened as I stared down at the gigantic bowl, everything on the menu put into one. "Uh, Mr. Chef?" Naruto called out, looking up at Techui, I looked up as well.  
"Just eat it." Techui said with a small sigh, waving his hand. "The final competition is tomorrow, right?"  
I looked back down at the steaming bowl, it looked absolutely delicious. "Heh." I smiled,  
"Thanks guys!" Me and Naruto shouted out at the same time.

"Ha! Heheheh!" Choza chuckled heartily, his hand around an empty shot of saki. Choza looked over at Inoichi, his head down on the table.  
"Well, at least with a daughter at home, it's not so bad on the wallet." Choza grinned, slapping the table with his palm, with his other hand he pointed a thumb up at himself. "Most of my money turns into food and then vanishes."  
"Quit complaining." Shikaku groaned, giving a long sigh, "You're not the only ones who's got problems." Shikaku pointed his palm upward, his other hand around a bottle of saki.  
"Look, I understand. Daughters are a real drag." Shikaku nodded, slapping a warm hand down on Inoichi's shoulder. "Yeah." Inoichi gave an even longer sigh, closing his eyes as he agreed. "Man, there are times when I really have no idea how to deal with her," Inoichi said, giving a shrug that accidentally knocked Shikaku's hand off.  
"I know what ya mean," Shikaku slurred, holding up the bottle as he started to feel light headed. "We dads have it rough."  
Shikaku said with a loud groan, Choza turned his head away, taking a peek at the happy hour menu.  
"Humph. And you're telling me to quit complaining." Choza growled quietly, his face bright pink. Choza looked up at the bartender,  
"Hey, mister!" Choza shouted out, the bartender looked over at him. "What ya want buddy?" He asked with a smile, Choza held the menu up, a finger slide between two pages.  
"These two pages, everything on them!" Choza said with a big grin, as he did, the bartender turns his head around to the door. It slid open with a small thud.  
"Welcome!" The bartender rolled his tongue, Shikamaru stood in the door frame, his hands in his pockets as he looked up at Shikaku. Choza pushed a fist up into the air, "Aha! Reinforcements are here!" Choza chuckled, Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Come on in, order something!" Choza said with a wave if his hand, holding the menu up for Shikamaru to see. Shikaku turned his head around to Shikamaru as he walked a bit closer.  
Shikamaru gave a long, drawn-out sigh, his shoulders slumping as he turned to his dad. "Hey, dad," Shikamaru put his hands on his hips, "Hugnn?" Shikaku grumbled, wobbling slightly as he looked down at Shikamaru.  
"Come on, can we go home already?" Shikamaru asked, a frown on his face. "What?" Shikaku asked, pointing the tip of the bottle at Shikamaru's chest. "Listen, don't be a drag." Shikaku slurred his words together as he raised the bottle,  
"Listen, you're supposed to be living it up at this festival." Shikaku grinned, "Yeah, right, some festival." Shikamaru mumbled, turning his head away.  
"It's a total drag..." Shikamaru sighed, "You idiot." Shikaku grumbled, tipping the bottle back to his lips, he drank straight from it. "Since ancient-" He paused, chugging the warm saki, "mmm, times..." Shikaku breathed out, placing the empty bottle down.  
"The final competition has always been like a festival." Shikaku nodded, Shikamaru sighed, slumping his shoulders.  
"I'm _in_ that final competition tomorrow. Aw, man, I don't have time to babysit you." Shikamaru shook his head, crossing his arms.  
"Hm? You're in it? What, seriously?" Shikaku asked with widened eyes, "Tch!" Shikamaru stammered, sighing as he turned his back on him. "Nevermind. Just forget about it."  
-

I was spread across Naruto's floor, fast asleep. Kale was curled up on my chest, snuggling into the side of my neck. Naruto was laying on his bed, looking down at us, a frown on his face. The alarm clock on his bedside table continued to click away, Naruto slowly blinked. He couldn't fall asleep.  
He looked up at the calendar, a big orange circle on tomorrow's date, exclamation points and stars scribbled on with a black marker too. Naruto gave a small sigh, shifting to the other side on the bed, looking out the window.  
The stars overhead were shining down on him. Before long it was daytime.

The alarm clock buzzed, Naruto groaned, slamming his hand down on the top. The table underneath creaked as he sat up in his bed. _So much for getting a good nights sleep._ Naruto thought with a small groan, rubbing his sore eyes.  
 _Stupid nerves._ Naruto turned his head down to the floor, his eyes widened.  
I was no where to be seen.  
-

I was dragging my feet along the dirt road, my hands cupped behind my back. Kale was lively, perched on the top of my head as he looked around, his tongue flickering in and out.  
 _Right off the bat,_ I thought, looking down at the ground. _In the first match, I have to go up against him. Neji..._ I bit down on my bottom lip.  
I was caught into main street, it was lively. People surrounded me, all walking towards the stadium. I could feel my stomach sink. A man pushed past me, his head turned to his friend, a big smile on his face.  
"Hey, did you hear, in the first match it's that (L/N) kid," I heard him breath out my name like a curse, his friend turned to him with a nod. "Yeah, and they're up against Neji Hyuga, number one rookie last year." He grinned,  
"Man, this is going to be a good match. Who do you think is gonna win?" He asked his friend, "I don't know..." His voice trailed off as they continued to walk, I clenched my fists.  
"Neji Hyuga..." I whispered, looking down at the ground. "Heh..." I nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well, now I'm able to summon a snake! Heh...yeah...everything's gonna be..." My voice caught in my throat, I gulped it down. I shook my head,  
 _But all of those guys look like nasty competitors._ I clenched my fists, shaking my head, I broke into a dash towards the training grounds.  
-

Hinata's forehead was on the training post, she was out of breath, leaning on it for support. I stood in the middle of the dirt path, looking at her from the road.  
"Hinata?" I called out, "Eek!" Hinata jumped, scurrying behind the training post like a mouse, she peeked her head around the corner. As soon as she saw me, her face flushed, she was starting to turn red.  
"O-Oh...(Y-Y/N)..." She stuttered, holding her hands together as she stood by the post.  
"So...w-why are you here?" Hinata asked, looking down at the ground. "The final competition..." Her voice trailed off, I took a step closer, she shifted nervously. "Oh...I just." I sighed, scratching the back of my head.  
"It's nothing." I mumbled, looking down as well. _What am I even saying?_ I wondered, digging my heel into the ground.  
"Well," I called out, Hinata's head rose. "I came to..." I smiled over at her, her eyes widened. Hinata's face was starting to turn red, she shuffled her hands nervously.  
"Y-You came to?" She asked, I clenched my fists. "O-Oh! No real reason, it doesn't matter anyway!" I shouted, my face was starting to turn pink, I was completely embarrassed.  
"Oh..." Hinata looked down at the ground, "I guess you're right." Hinata gave a small nod, "Sorry."  
I gulped. "Say, Hinata." I called out, "Huh?" Hinata's head rose, I stuffed my hands in my pockets.  
"Neji, he's a cousin of yours, right?" I asked, looking back over at her. "Oh...yeah..." Hinata's voice was soft, she shifted uncomfortably, clinging onto the training post.  
"So, is he...really strong?" My voice turned serious, Hinata's eyes met mine. "Mm." She gave a small sigh, closing her eyes. I looked back down to the ground. "Yeah..." I mumbled,  
"B-But! I-I mean, you still might b-be able to win, (Y/N)!" Hinata called out, clenching her fists as her voice raised.  
"Heh!" I laughed nervously, "Yeah. I'm strong too, after all!" I tried to smile, slightly cringing at my giggling. A drop of sweat slipped down the side of my face.  
Hinata moved away from the post. Clasping her hands together, she looked down at them.  
"I know you can win, (Y/N)." She said with a nod, "Huh?" My eyes widened as I looked back over to her, she tapped her fingers together.  
"Remember...Remember that time you cheered for me?" Hinata took a step closer to me, "I-I felt like...like I was able to become stronger than ever before." Hinata blushed as she looked up at me. The second time our eyes met, the stare lasted. "When the preliminaries ended, I was finally...finally able to like my self...a little." Hinata voice was small, I smiled over to her.  
"To anybody else, it might look like I absolutely nothing has changed about me..." Hinata began, "But...I feel different." Hinata's voice pitched, "Like I'm a better person now. A-And I've been thinking..." Hinata paused, a smile catching her lips. "I've been thinking that it was all thanks to you, (Y/N)."  
"Hinata..." I called out, looking down at the ground, her eyes widened. "You really..." I paused, taken back by her words. "Do you really believe that's true?" I asked her, Hinata raised her hand to her chest. "Huh?" She whispered,  
I gritted my teeth. "I may look strong to you...but all I ever do is mess things up!" I shouted, shaking my head.  
"I act tough because I'm so frustrated. I just feel like I'm a huge failure..." I kept my head down, Hinata gasped.  
"No! That's not true!" Hinata shouted, I jumped slightly at her loud voice. I looked up at her with wide eyes, she clenched her fists, shaking her head.  
"Even when you messed up, you always found a way to fix it." Hinata smiled at me, I was at a loss for words.  
"When I look at you...you fill me with such...such admiration." Hinata looked down at her feet, "I'm not saying you're perfect. N-No one is...but when you do make a mistake, you have the guts to pick yourself up and keep trying. I think that courage, to keep going no matter what, is what real strength is. I just think...I think that you're an incredibly strong person, (Y/N)..."  
Hinata nodded, taking another small step forward. "Heh." I smiled to her, "Thanks Hinata, I needed that." I nodded, Hinata's eyes widened.  
"I guess this time I was really feeling the strain." I said with a nod, putting my hands on my hips.  
"I was really down, which is totally uncool. It's not like me at all. But I feel a hundred percent better now!" I shouted, punching my fists up into the air. Hinata gasped, smiling widely as she clapped her hands together. "I'm glad you do!" Hinata said sweetly, I smiled back to her.  
"All right, I'm off to the match." I nodded, turning away from her. "Thanks again!" I waved, starting to walk away, but I stopped, by back facing her. "Huh?" Hinata wondered, staring at my back.  
"Hinata." I called out, her eyes widened. "I kinda thought you were, um," I paused, Hinata held her breath as she stared at me, her heart skipping beats. _What? What?_ She thought, her face turning redder.  
"Gloomy, timid, always terrified, and basically completely weird." I said with a small chuckle, Hinata hung her head down.  
"Oh..." She mumbled, "But, y'know what?" I continued, starting to walk away again.  
"I actually like-" I paused, Hinata shot her head up, eyes sparkling, "-people like you!" I waved, rushing down the dirt path.  
-

I stood in front the stadiums gates.  
I could hear the people inside, shouting and laughing, cheering and screaming. All clumped together in the stands overhead, roaring as they waited for the matches to begin.  
I gulped, clenching my fists tight as I walked through the gate. As soon as I entered, and uproar of screams and shouts echoed around me. My eyes widened as I looked up into the stands.  
People were together in large clusters, moving like waves as they cheered. Men, women, children, it looked like everyone in the village was there. I twisted my head around, looking up at them all as I walked through the stadium, towards the middle.  
Shikamaru turned to me, his hands in his pockets. "You just barely made it." Shikamaru said with a small scoff, his voice called me back to reality. "There's...so many..." I was at a loss for words, completely shocked as I stood in line next to him.  
I looked to the others, counting them off by their faces. _Shikamaru,_ I rose a finger, counting on my hands. _Temari, Kankuro._ Three fingers, _Gaara, Neji, Shino..._ I stopped, tapping my chin. _Where the heck is Naruto? And what about that creep Sasuke..._ I paused as I thought of him. "Tch." I clicked my tongue, crossing my arms. _Sasuke better get here, he made a promise._ I looked down at the ground, thinking back to the hospital room.  
 _He promised._ I reassured myself with a nod, looking up at the sky as I thought back on it.

 _I crossed my arms. This is disappointing, I thought with a frown. I thought the hidden leaf Anbu would be a bit better than this, I thought, shaking my head as I sneaked across the hospital's wall, landing on the eighth story balcony, looking at the window leading to Sasuke's room.  
I shook my head as I looked to it, holding the bundle of wild flowers close to my chest. I don't even know why I'm here, I thought with a small huff. Sasuke's just a lame creep, I didn't need to get him these. I looked down at the flowers, my face starting to heat up. I clicked my tongue, silently opening the window, I crept into Sasuke's hotel room.  
It was pitch black as I closed the window behind me. Thick black drapes hung over the windows, smothering any light that tried to sneak in. A hospital room is usually dreary enough as it is, but having it as dark as a cave? I thought, walking a bit more into the room. It's horrible. I shook my head, squinting my eyes as I cautiously walked through the dark.  
I tiptoed across the room, my eyes slowly starting to adjust to the dark as I made my way over to the bed.  
The room was completely quiet, an unnerving kind of quiet. It sent chills down my back, it felt like at any moment something might pop out from the darkness.  
I stood by the bed. I could partially make out a figure lying on the mattress. It was still, unmoving. The blanket looked bundled up, almost like it was tied together. I furrowed my brow, kneeling down to the bedside table.  
An empty flower vase stood on top of the night stand, I slid the flowers into the dry bowl, wishing I had some water to put into the bottom. They're going to dry out quick, I thought with a frown. Great, another reason to visit. "Tch." I clicked my tongue, the hollow sound echoing around the room._  
 _I turned my head back to the bed, looking at the bundle of sheets. It didn't seem right. I bit down on my bottom lip, scooting a bit closer to the side of the bed, taking little half steps closer, I reached my hand out to it. My hand floated over the bundle, I slowly started to lower it, about to pick the cover up.  
"What are you doing?" A voice echoed out from behind me, I jumped, slapping a hand over my mouth as I held back a shriek. I shot up to my feet, furiously turning around on my heel. I could barely make out Sasuke's figure in the dark. I sternly put my hands on my hips, squinting my eyes down at him.  
"And what are you doing sitting around in this darkness?" I asked, stomping my foot down on the ground. Sasuke titled his head slightly. "Geeze, only you Sasuke could find a way to turn something as horrible as a hospital room into something worse." I shook my head, brushing past him as I made my way back to the window.  
I grabbed onto the curtain, quickly pulling it to the side. Light poured into the room, I gave a small sigh of relief. Sasuke winced, holding an arm over his eyes as the blinding light consumed the darkness.  
"It's such a nice day today, I don't know how you could just cancel it out like that." I said with a small smile, putting my hands on my hips as I looked up at the sky. It was a crystal clear day, not a single cloud in the sky. The sun was beating down on Konoha. A small breeze whisking through the trees, mellow green grass rustling together, and sparkling blue waters.  
It was a perfect day. "You seem fine enough to get out, why don't you come outside and-" I paused, turning my head around to him.  
Sasuke stood there, shirtless with his hands on his hips, he looked over at me with a small smile on his face. I gritted my teeth. "_ _ **Put some clothes on you creep!**_ _" I screamed at him, clenching my fists as I snapped my head back around, turning back around to the window to hide my flushed face.  
Sasuke shrugged turning away from me has he walked back to the bed. "You don't have to shout so much." Sasuke mumbled, pulling on his usual blue top. I crossed my arms, eyeing him angrily.  
"You weren't wrong about me being fine enough to go outside." He called out, walking back to the wardrobe. My eyes widened as I looked back at the bed. A bag sat on top of it, next to a bundled up blanket. He was packing.  
"And where exactly are you going?" I asked suspiciously, raising my brow as I looked over at him. Sasuke closed the bag up, giving me a small sigh as he sat down on the corner of the bed.  
"Well?" I asked again, this time with a more pitched tone. "I'm leaving to go train." Sasuke finally said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "I suggest you do the same. The final competition isn't going to be as easy as the last round." Sasuke stood up from the bed, his back turned to me.  
"Yeah. I figured that." I mumbled, crossing my arms. "You brought me flowers?" He wondered, looking back at the bedside table. I clicked my tongue, "Yeah, so what? I thought you were still healing up." I turned my head away from him, Sasuke looked back over at me. I let out a small sigh, Sasuke sat back down on the bed next to me.  
"You're worried about something." Sasuke called out, I turned my head over to him. I shot up to my feet, shaking my head.  
"Just..." I paused, "Just don't do something stupid." I called out, Sasuke stood up next to me. "Is that all?" He asked, turning towards the hospital rooms door.  
"Promise you'll come back?" I asked, looking down at the ground. Sasuke turned to me, taking a step closer. "(Y/N)." He called my name, I looked up at him.  
"Promise." Sasuke tapped my forehead with his two fingers, I flinched, squinting my eyes. Sasuke turned away from me, walking back towards the front door. I touched the middle of my forehead with a smile._

 _That idiot._ I thought, giving a small sigh. "You better come back..." I mumbled, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

 _To be continued..._


	59. Byakugan VS Daigan

"AAHHHHHHH!" Naruto's shrill scream boomed around the stadium, I jumped at its high pitch, spinning around on my heel to watch Naruto skid on the dirt.  
He was face down, the entire front of him covered in it. I shook my head. The audience erupted in a bunch of mumbled, I stood over Naruto with my hands on my hips. _He sure knows how to make an entrance._ I sighed, shaking my head.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped out from the stands, her eyes wide as she looked down at us from the audience. Ino scoffed, sitting next to her on the benches, her arms crossed. "Yeah, but he's totally late." Ino huffed, squinting her eyes down at him. "Of course." Ino added, shaking her head.

Shikamaru turned to us, his hands in his pockets as he watched me bend down to Naruto, his arm draped over my shoulders and I picked him up. "Y'know, sometimes you really are an idiot, Naruto." I mumbled down at him, Naruto let out a loud groan, his eyes flickering open. "Ah!" Naruto shouted, jumping up to his feet, his fists clenched.  
"Guys! Run! You won't believe this, but," Naruto shouted, pointing back at the gates. "But there's a huge heard of stampeding bulls coming this way!" Naruto's eyes were wide, "What?" I tilted my head, my arms crossed. "I'm serious!" Naruto shouted back at me, "There must be a million of em...coming...this...way..." Naruto gulped as he looked behind him.  
All eyes were on him, a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. He looked at all of the other candidate's lines up in the middle of the stadium, he furrowed his brow. "Huh? Wait, where's Sasuke?" He asked, turning his head from side to side. "Looks like your boyfriend isn't here yet, Naruto." I poked his arm teasingly, "What?!" He shouted back at me,his voice cracking as he clenched his fists. "Heh!" I giggled, Naruto gritted his teeth as I started to dance around him, proud of my choice of words.  
"Hey. You two, knock it off." Genma called out, I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned my head over to him, "Quit your fidgeting, you two." Genma said in a commanding voice.  
"Stand up straight and present yourself proudly to the spectators."  
I gulped, walking forward into the line, Naruto by my side as we look up at the crowd. Screams and shouts roared, echoing loudly through the stadiums. Everyone was cheering, waving their hands down at us. The crowd moved into a blur of different colours, blues and whites, pinks and greys. They were all shining down on us.  
"You guys are the heroes of the final competition." Genma called out, we all were silent.  
-

The Lord Hokage sat high above, a little taller than the stadiums. He had one of the best views of the arena.  
"No signs of Sasuke yet?" Sarutobi asked Raido close by his side, Raido stood up straight, his hands behind his back as he looked down at the arena.  
"No. A team of Anbu black ops are searching for him, but so far, they've found nothing." Raido explained, leaning in a bit closer to Sarutobi, "He may already be in Orochimaru's hands." Raido whispered, Sarutobi closed his eyes.  
"In which case, of course, we may never find him." Raido gave a small sigh, standing back up straight. Sarutobi nodded,  
"I understand." Sarutobi nodded, turning his head over to the right.  
"Aha! You've made it." He called out, smiling "Welcome, Lord Kazekage!" Sarutobi said happily, the Kazekage looked down at him. Rasa stayed silent.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets as I stood in line, looking around the arena with a mildly bored stare. Naruto stood next to me, his hands behind his head as he stood, silently tapping his foot on the ground. Shikamaru on the other side, looked like he was going to fall asleep, right there, standing up. I smirked at the idea.  
A low growl caught my attention, my eyes widening slightly as I looked down the line.  
Gaara stood at the end, Kankuro and Temari next to him. Gaara was twitching slightly, his fists clenched as he looked upwards. I tilted my head slightly, looking back up at the Hokage. I squinted my eyes, watching the Kazekage in flickering blue and white robes sit down next to him. "Hm." I wondered, turning my head back to the ground.

"You must be weary, having come all this way." Sarutobi began, turning his head over to Rasa. "Not at all." Rasa's voice was smooth and precise, like he had been practising what he was going to say before he got there.  
"I'm only glad, that for your sake, the arena is here in the leaf village." Rasa, turned slightly in his chair, his attention on Sarutobi. "As strong as you are, I'm sure a long journey would have proven difficult for you, at your age." Rasa carefully pronounced his words, looking over at Sarutobi with a long gave. Raido squinted his eyes down at Rasa, starting to feel uneasy.  
"Isn't it about time that you decided who will succeed you as Hokage?" Rasa asked, squinting his eyes over at Sarutobi.  
"Hmm? Ha!" Sarutobi heaved a loud laugh, "You act as if I were an old man!" Sarutobi said with a smile, looking over at Rasa. "There's plenty of life left in me." Sarutobi smiled, standing up from his chair. "No, I plan to stay here for some time to come." Sarutobi said with a nod, walking towards the railing, his hands behind his back as he looked over the edge, down into the arena. Rasa's eyed followed him.  
"Now then," Sarutobi called out, turning his head back to Rasa. "It's time for the final rounds to begin." Sarutobi's voice changed,

" **Welcome all.** " Sarutobi's voice boomed around the stadium, blasting from speakers high up. Everyone became silent, all heads turned up to him as he spoke. I crossed my arms.  
"Our deepest thanks for coming here to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for this year's chunin selection." He nodded, leaning slightly on the railing as he looked around the audience,  
"We have come to the final competition between the nine candidates who made it through the preliminaries. We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed. Now, everyone enjoy." Sarutobi waved to the cheering crowd, Rasa shifted in his seat.  
"You said, 'nine candidates'. Aren't you missing one?" Rasa asked, a small smile underneath his mask. "Hm." Sarutobi kept his back turned, to Rasa.  
-

"Oh, there's one more thing before we get started." Genma called for our attention again, I looked back up at him. He slid his hands into his pockets, playing with the end of a stick in his mouth. He pulled a hand out, reaching into his vest as he pulled out a scroll, he quickly unlatched it.  
It flapped in the wind as he held it up for us to see, "Look it over." Genma said, "Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, his eyes squinted. "Hm." I nodded, crossing my arms.  
"There's been a slight change in the matchups. But now it's set, so everyone take one last look at who you'll be facing." Genma said with a small nod, I quickly skimmed over the paper.  
 _1\. (Y/N) (L/N) VS. Neji Hyuga  
2\. Temari VS. Shikamaru Nara  
3\. Gaara VS. Sasuke Uchiha  
4\. Kankuro VS. Shino VS. Naruto_  
Naruto gave a long frown as he stared at the paper, his arms crossed. _Hey,_ Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly. _So, that Dosu guy dropped out._ Gaara tapped a finger against his palm as he read the sheet, a blank stare everywhere he looked.  
"Uh, question!" I shouted out, my hand raised. Gaara's gaze floated over to me, his head tilted slightly as he stared.  
"What is it?" Genma asked with a sigh, rolling the scroll back up. "I was just wondering..." I mumbled, looking down at the ground. "What'll happen to Sasuke?" I asked with a small shrug, Genma but the scroll back into his vest.  
"I mean, if he doesn't show up." I explained with a small nod. Genma put his hands back into his pockets.  
-

 _Where is Sasuke?_ Sakura wondered, her head down as she looked out to the arena. Her hands rested in her lap as she nervously fidgeted with her nails. Ino sat next to her with her arms crossed, leaning on the uncomfortable stand they sat on. A frown crossed her face.  
 _And, how can (Y/N) tell he was just going for training? Were they just trying to make me feel better?_ Sakura wondered, looking down at me. _What if...what if he didn't leave and...someone took him..._ Sakura shivered, hugging her arms closer to her chest.

"If a candidate is not here in the arena the time his name is called," Genma began, looking down at me. He bit into the stick, it swung upwards. "He forfeits the match."  
I clenched my fists, snapping my head back to the front gates. They were wide open. _Sasuke wouldn't miss this, even if he had to drag himself here!_ I clenched my fists, _Dammit creep, all you do is make us worry._ I thought with a sigh, continuing to stare towards the front gates.  
Gaara was staring at me from down the line, I didn't notice his stare. I kept my eyes on the front gate. A small smile crept across Gaara's lips.  
Baki held onto the railing tightly, a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he looked down at Gaara. _No..._ Baki's hands started to shake, did he...? Baki kept his eyes down on Gaara, his mind drifting.  
 _"What is it, Gaara?" Baki asked, looking back over at Gaara in the door way. Gaara's back was turned to him, Baki squinted his eyes over at him. "Where are you going?" Baki shifted uncomfortably, Gaara's arm dropped back down by his side.  
"To remind myself..." Gaara's voice trailed off as he looked down the corridor. Baki rose to his knees, "To remind yourself?" Baki asked, Gaara rose his head. "That I'm alive." Gaara left his words floating in the air as he left, Baki stood on his knees, watching Gaara walk down the corridor._  
 _No..._ Baki shook his head as he looked down at Gaara, _after all my warnings not to draw attention to himself. He wouldn't of killed Sasuke Uchiha too, would he?_  
Baki froze as Gaara's head tilted, his eyes were plastered on me. Baki gritted his teeth.

"All right, listen up." Genma called for our attention again, I turned my head away from the gates. Genma put his arms behind his back, his chest raised as he spoke to us. "The terrain's different, but the rules are the same as before." Genma said with a nod, "That is that there are no rules...  
"The match continues until one candidate acknowledges defeat, or dies. That being said, if I determine that a match is over, I can step in and stop it at any time. And no arguments permitted." Genma paused, scanning over our faces.  
"Understood?" He asked, biting down on the other end of the stick.  
"These are the opponents for the first match," Genma called out, his voice loud and clear.  
"(Y/N) (L/N) and Neji Hyuga." Genma's voice boomed around the stadium. As my last name was said, I could hear voices drop silent in the stands. The once loud conversations turned to whispers and hushed tones. I could feel there stares creeping up my back. I clenched my fists, ignoring the audience behind me.  
Genma cleared his throat, "Those two stay. The rest of you can go to the waiting area." Genma said with a nod, Naruto turned to me on his heel, he patted my shoulder. I turned my head over to him.  
"I know you can do this. I'll be cheering for you up there." Naruto said to me, pointing up at the stadium with a nod, I nodded back to him. "And when I'm done wiping the floor with this jerk," I pointed my thumb back at Neji,  
"I'll meet you up there."  
-

"Hey, Hinata," Kiba called out behind him, Akamaru perched on his shoulder. "Look, these seats are free." Kiba pointed down at two open seat in the front row of the stadium, almost all the other seats were full. Hinata hopped down the stairs to him, looking at the open seats with a smile.  
"Oh, thanks..." She whispered, giving Kiba a small smile. They sat down.  
"I think this is gonna be an interesting match." Kiba said with a nod, his arms crossed as he looked down at the arena. Hinata kept her eyes down at the arena, a hand over her heart. _(Y/N)..._ She thought, looking down at me worriedly.  
"Hey, Sakura." Ino called out, Hinata faintly heard her voice. She turned her head around, looking at them up at the top row. Sakura hung her head down.  
"I know that you're worried about Sasuke, but come on." Ino said, shaking Sakura's shoulder. "Don't be such a lump! Aren't you going to cheer (Y/N) on with me?" Ino asked, Sakura rose her head, her eyes were wide.  
"Ha, you're right." Sakura smile over at her, Ino breathed a sigh of relief. "That's more like it." Ino smiled, looking down towards the arena. "Not that the poor runt has a hope in hell against Neji." Ino snorted, putting her hands on her hips. Sakura furrowed her brow, "Hey, shut your trap. (Y/N)'s a lot more powerful than you give them credit for!" Sakura shouted back, her fist raised. Ino clicked her tongue, "There she is. Alright Sakura," Ino grinned over at her,  
"If no one else is gonna cheer for (Y/N), then we're stuck with the job." Ino said, looking around the silent stadium.  
Kotetsu crossed his arms, leaning back on the bench,  
"Who would've believed that little squirt would survive this long?" Kotetsu said with a small chuckle, Hinata look back over at him. Izumo and Kotetsu sat in the two seats next to her and Kiba.  
"Yeah." Izumo nodded, "They've been one lucky kid so far, but their luck's about to run out." Izumo said, shaking his head. Hinata gulped, "They'll never survive this one." Izumo gave a small shrug, looking back over at Kotetsu. Hinata clenched her fists. "Yeah, it's going to be painful." Kotetsu agreed with a small nod,  
"Going up against one of the Hyuga clan? They don't have a chance." Kotetsu clicked his tongue, Hinata bit down on the inside of her mouth, keeping herself silent. Kiba looked over at them, his arms crossed.  
 _They don't know (Y/N) one bit._ Kiba thought with a grin, looking back down at me. _I have no doubt that (Y/N) will beat Neji. They haven't seen (Y/N) fighting up close, they never give up, no matter what._ Kiba squinted his eyes over at Kotetsu, _He's going to be in for a shock._ "Hnnggrrr..." Akamaru gave a small whimper, poking Kiba in the neck with his nose.  
"Huh?" Kiba mumbled, looking over at him. "Yeah, Akamaru, what is it?" Kiba asked, his brow raised. Akamaru gave a low growl, moving his head up. "What? Are you sure?" Kiba whispered, carefully looking around the stands. "Where?" Kiba asked, Akamaru let out another low growl, Kiba's eyes widened.  
"Up there..." Kiba furrowed his brow as he spotted a member of the Anub standing at the top of the stands, looking down at the arena like everyone else. Kiba clenched his fists, _what the hell are the Anbu black ops doing here?_ Kiba gritted his teeth, _something's going on._  
-

I stood facing Neji in the arena, he stood still, his hands dropped down to his sides. I clenched my fists as I looked at him, Neji's head was down, hiding his face in a shadow. I gritted my teeth.  
"Alright," Genma's loud voice cut between us, he was looking up at the stands, his attention turned to the audience.  
"Let the first match **begin!** "  
Screams and shouts echoed around the arena, the audience was going wild up above. Some were clapping, others were stomping their feet, some waving there hands down at us. It all mixed into a loud beat overhead.  
Neji kept silent, I stared him down, the wind cut between us. It picked up pieces of my hair, shifting them around in the wind. I didn't notice. All my attention was on Neji.  
The crowd slowly began to die down, sensing the intense atmosphere between us. Kale's head rose lazily, his tongue flickering in and out as he circled around me, resting his head down on the top of mine. Kale's tail slowly moved, side to side behind him. Kale could sense the tension.  
I finally rose my fists.

"Watch closely, Hanabi," Hiashi said calmly, looking down at the arena, Hanabi sitting on the seat next to him. "There's no one in the Hyuga clan who has inherited such a strong kekkei genkai. His is stronger than your older sisters." Hiashi said with certainty, Hanabi's eye's widened. "Stronger than hers?" Hanabi asked, turning to Hiashi. "Perhaps even stronger than yours." Hiashi gave a small nod, Hanabi gasped, turning her head back down to Neji, her milky eyes sparkling.  
Kiba shifted uneasily in his seat, his nails digging into his clenched fists. _Watch yourself,_ Kiba looked down at me worriedly, tapping his foot on the ground in a constant beat. _This is no pushover you're up against,_ Kiba squinted his eyes down at Neji, standing with his head down. _Not with that Byakugan of his..._ A bead of sweat ran down the side of Kiba's face, he looked over at Hinata by his side, she sat with her hands tightly clasped, holding them over her chest as she watched.  
 _You don't want to get too close to this guy,_ Kiba thought with a frown as he looked back down into the arena, _but does (Y/N) know that?_

I jumped on my heel, dashing towards Neji. Kale held on tighter at the sudden jolt, strengthening his hold on me as he faced Neji. I shouted as I flew towards him, sending my fist flying, Neji looked up, quickly dodging the fist. I looked over at him, now standing to the side of me. He kept still, his eyes relaxed.  
"I won't fight you."  
The words stood still in the air, silence quickly smothering them out. I turned to him, my arms down by my sides, but my fists still clenched. "What?" I hissed, staring Neji down intently.  
"I won't fight you." Neji said again, shaking his head.  
Mumbles erupted around the crowd. I could hear people shifting in their seats, turning to the person next to them with a barrage of questions, questions their partner doesn't have the answer too. The whispers put me on edge, knowing that they're about Neji and me.  
"Then forfeit the match!" I shouted back at him, I rose my fists once again. Neji stayed silent. "If you don't fight me, you forfeit, if you don't forfeit, you fight! There's no other way around this." I said through gritted teeth, just being in Neji's presence made me angry.  
The crowd started to peter out, leaving only the howling wind in it's place. Neji's head was down, a sharp shadow crossed over his eyes.  
"Fine." I called out, trying to calm myself down. Neji looked back at me, "I'll finish this fight quickly." I clasped my hands into a seal, "I've been meaning to try this out, now that the curse mark's gone down a bit." A small smile came to my lips as I closed my eyes, a sharp pain broke from my forehead, I ignored it, gritting my teeth.  
" ** _Daigan!_** "

 _To be continued..._


	60. Ultimate Defense, Zero Blind Spot!

Iruka closed a book with a sigh, his shoulders slumped as he sat in his seat. He was finally done grading all of his student's tests. Piles of books and different scrolls laid scattered in front of him, loose sheets of paper he'd written on, talking about plans for new assignments and lectures for the class. Different folders containing grades for the students and any notes he had written for them to take home to their parents. Most of the warnings about their child failing.  
Iruka got up from his chair, stretching his legs out as he walked towards the window, his hands clasped behind his back. It was a beautiful bright sunny day, but outside it was barren. Not a single person walking around the academy, not a single kid running around the playground, not a single teacher in the other classrooms buzzing around and grading their tests. Almost everyone was in the arena, watching the first match of the chunin exams.  
Iruka let out another sigh. _So their opponent is Neji._ Iruka thought, watching as a couple of birds pecked at the ground. Some were gathered in the playground, perched up on top of the slide like they owned it. Iruka's mind was on the match. _These final rounds are nothing like the preliminaries, as (Y/N) will soon find out._ Iruka held his arms behind his back, his fists tightly clenched. _I bet (Y/N) has had to keep Naruto in line through the whole exam._ Iruka thought with a small smile, _Of course, Sakura wouldn't go easy on him either._ Iruka shook his head, _those two. (Y/N) and Naruto. Once the village's pranksters, now the most promising young shinobi of the hidden leaf. It takes me back, remembering how young they used to be._ Iruka thought back with a smile, looking up at the sky. _They must have just turned five..._

 _"Naruto, hey, Naruto!" I shouted, banging my fist on his window. "Are you in there, lemon head?!" I growled, Naruto opened the window quickly, staring at me angrily. "Stop calling me that!" Naruto shouted back, his hands on his hips. I crawled through his bedroom window, falling down on his bed. "Call you what?" I asked with a grin, Naruto crossed his arms, "You know what!" Naruto grumbled, "Oh, you mean, lemon head?" I laughed, chanting his nickname out. "Lemon head, lemon head, lemon head!" I repeated it over and over again, proudly marching around his bedroom. "I said stop it!" Naruto cried out again, "You're acting like a baby!" I shouted back, "No! You are!" Naruto crossed his arms, "It doesn't even make sense, lemon head." Naruto said, shaking his head. "Of course it does," I nodded, Naruto looked back over at me. "It's cuz your hair's as yellow as a lemon," I explained, sticking my tongue out at him. "It's not!" Naruto pouted, "Is too!" I shouted back, "Is not!" "Is too!" "Is not!" "Is too!" "Is not!" "Is too!" "Is not!" "Is too!" "Is not!"  
I clenched my fists, "Just shut up already!" I shouted, punching Naruto square in the jaw. He fell over on his side, landing on the bed, holding the side of his face. "Why are you so mean (Y/N)?" Naruto sniffled, rolling around on the bed as he held his jaw.  
"Whatever. You called me here for something important, now, what is it?" I asked, my hands on my hips as I looked down at him. "The sun's going to be setting soon, I'll have to get back home quick. So, hurry up and tell me." I growled, starting to get annoyed by Naruto. "Well, I wouldn't worry about that." Naruto said, sitting up on the bed with a big grin, he had completely forgotten about the punch. "What do you mean?" I asked, sitting down on the bed next to him. "Well, tonight," Naruto paused, grinning ear to ear. "We're going to go outside!"  
"Wait, you mean, going outside past..." I gulped, whispering as I looked over at him. "Past the curfew?" I looked at him with wide eyes, he nodded back at me with a laugh. "Yeah!" Naruto said with a grin, pushing up his goggles with his thumb. "But..." I paused, looking Naruto in the eye. "But Iruka-sensei said that there were...monsters out there at night!" I said startled, Naruto crossed his arms. "You don't actually believe that, do you?" Naruto said with a grin, "Iruka-sensei's just trying to get us scared so we won't go outside." Naruto nodded, "Well, I guess, but what if Iruka-sensei finds us? He's gonna get super mad." I thought out loud, "Then we'll have to avoid him!" Naruto nodded, "I guess..."  
I said, looking back out the window. The sun was setting. In about twenty more minutes, it would be night time. The bright oranges and deep purples of the sky were calming, I looked up at them for some comfort. "All right." I agreed with a nod,  
"It'll be fun, lemon head." "I told you not to call me that!" "Call you what, lemon head?" "Shut up!"  
It was around nine when Naruto and I snuck out of his house, carefully walking down the dark back steps. Naruto held a bulky red flashlight, shinning it around like a detective, I stayed close behind him. "Are you sure about this, Naruto?" I asked, whispering over his shoulder. "Yeah. There's nothing scary out here. Iruka-sensei's a big fat liar!" Naruto shouted, nodding with a grin. "Yeah, you're probably right." I nodded as we continued to walk down the alleyway._  
 _Everything looked a bit different at night. Deep shadows cast by far away lanterns rolled through the alleyway, a deep purplish hue hung over the walls as I and Naruto continued through. The deeper we got, the darker it was. Naruto waved the flashlight around with a shaky hand, I stood close behind, holding my hands together as I walked on with shaky legs.  
"What?" I called out, my voice echoing. "When did...when was there ever a wall here?" I stepped to the dead end, tapping the wall with my hand. It was solid. Naruto scratched his head, "Yeah. We always come down this way to get to main street. What the hecks going on here?!" Naruto shouted, looking at the wall angrily.  
"Naruto...(Y/N)..." A voice hissed from behind us, Naruto squeaked, holding his mouth shut as the voice rung, bouncing around the alleyway. "Naruto...(Y/N)!" The voice called again, but this time louder. Naruto and I kept facing the wall, shaking wildly. Naruto let out a loud, shrill scream as he quickly jumped over the wall. "HEY!" I shouted, flinging myself over the wall, chasing after him.  
We ran like there was no tomorrow. Naruto had started crying midway through, tears and snot left sideways trails as he ran, panting for breath. I was too scared to think, just running alongside Naruto, neither of us had a plan as to where we were going.  
Naruto started to slow down, out of breath, he stopped in front of a large tree. We had already run out of the main parts of town, edging closer to the forest. Only a few buildings stood around those parts. Naruto had wiped his face on his sleeve, sweat, tears, and snot drenched it. "I-Is it s-still there?" Naruto asked, his legs shaking. I turned my head around,  
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, turning around on my heel, I ran in the opposite direction. Naruto didn't even bother to look behind, he just chased after me.  
Heavy footsteps chased after us, Naruto started to cry again. I wasn't thinking about where I was going, heading towards a small apartment building. Naruto followed close behind, a sniffling mess.  
I started banging on the door, "Iruka-sensei!" I cried out, Naruto was close by my side. The door flung open, I fell into the apartment, landing on Iruka, he fell over on the ground.  
"What the-!" Iruka shouted, Naruto and I landed on his chest. I jumped up to my knees, pointing back at the open door. "Iruka-sensei! T-There's a-a monster!" I shouted at him, tears were starting to well up in my eyes. Iruka looked towards the door, shaking his head. He put a hand on my shoulder, "(Y/N), there's nothing there." Iruka said with a sigh, sitting up on the floor. "B-But!" Naruto shouted, he placed a hand on the top of his head.  
"What were you two doing out this late anyway?" Iruka asked, squinting his eyes down at us. I pointed to Naruto, "It was his idea!" I shouted, sniffling. "What?!" Naruto gulped, "N-No! It was (Y/N)'s idea!" Naruto said, pointing back at me. "No, it wasn't!" I shouted back, "Yeah it was!" Naruto put his hands on his hips, Iruka sighed. "You two are always doing this..." Iruka mumbled,  
"Giving you a hard time, Iruka?" A voice called out from the door, Sarutobi looked in with a smile. "Lord Hokage!" Iruka said startled, Sarutobi smiled down at him. "These two are quite the handful." Sarutobi nodded, heaving a loud chuckle. Iruka scratched the back of his neck with a smile.  
Afterwards, Iruka lectured Naruto and me about how dangerous it was to go outside at night, and for the next few months, I teased Naruto for crying._  
Iruka leaned back in the chair, resting his feet up on the table, a small smile on his face.  
-

Kabuto knelt down, looking at the arena with a grin. He held a mask in his palm, kneeling over a corpse of an Anbu member. His glasses shinned in the sunlight.  
"Put on a good show for me, will you, (Y/N)?" Kabuto wondered aloud. The crowd kicked up again, screams and shouts roaring in the distance, "You know, I've got a tough job to do. And, I'd like to be entertained while I'm doing it." Kabuto stood up, a devilish grin on his face.  
-

My eyes flared to life, glowing a deep orange hue. A warm feeling came from my neck, but I ignored it with ease. Neji tried to raise his arms, but I was already on him.  
I sent a strong punch down towards him, Neji's eyes widened as he threw himself to the side, my fist grazing the side of his face as he tumbled out of the way. He quickly got ahold of his footing, raising his arms back up as he took his stance, his Byakugan activated. A small smile crossed my lips.  
I bounced off my heel, charging at him again. I threw another punch, the back of Neji's hand slapped my arm away in a flash. I turned sideways, throwing another punch the opposite side, Neji quickly blocked that as well. He was moving as quickly as I was.  
I sent a kick up, aiming towards his chest. He bounced my heel away, I turned on my other foot, spinning back around for another attack.  
"(Y/N)! Watch out!" Sakura shouted from the stands, for a split second, I turned my head away when my name was called. Neji's palm thrusted out towards me, I fell back to dodge, his palm grazing my shoulder. I stumbled down to the ground, holding onto my burning shoulder. It started to turn numb.  
"(Y/N)!" Sakura screamed, holding her hands over her mouth. Ino's eyes were wide as she stared down, her legs shaking slightly. _Hitting a chakra point directly can affect chakra flow,_ Ino thought, biting down on her bottom lip. _Either halting or increasing it, depending on how the attacker struck the chakra points._ Ino's fists clenched as she saw me on the ground,  
I looked up at Neji with gritted teeth. Neji looked down at his hand, _I missed._ He thought, shocked. He tightened it into a fist. _I can't let this go on any longer._  
"Ha! Is that all you've got?" I called out, standing up with a grin. Neji's eyes widened. I moved my shoulder, a small pop sounded from it. _If I get too close, he can turn off my chakra._ I thought, looking over at Neji.  
"Alright." I faced him, "I'm done playing around." I said, clasping my hands together in a seal. Neji shifted slightly,  
"It's time too-" "Hssssss..." Kale gave a low hiss, I looked down at him. "Uh...just a sec!" I shouted back to Neji, waving towards him. He tilted his head slightly.  
I knelt down, Kale dropped to the dirt looking up at me. "What is it, Kale? I'm kind of in the middle of something here!" I whispered down to him, Kale shook his head. "What do you mean I can't?" I asked, hanging my head down. "I've been waiting to use the Daigan for so long. It's what we've been practising!" My eyes were wide, waving my hands around in the air.  
 _Are they talking to a snake?_ Neji thought, curiously looking over at me. _I thought it was a necklace. It stayed so still._ Neji thought as he looked down at Kale bobbing his head up and down.  
"Well...I guess you're right. It'd be a bit overkill. But..." Kale cut me off with a loud hiss, "Okay, okay! I won't use it." I sighed, "But then, you're going to have to do what I say."I pointed down at him, he nodded. "Alright, alright, so here's the plan." I nodded, bending down as I whispered to him.  
 _I should forfeit this match._ Neji thought, looking down at his fist. _I can't fight (Y/N)...I can't bring myself to do it. Why?_ Neji wondered, his brow furrowed. _(Y/N), you-_  
"Now!" I shouted, Neji snapped his head up, looking to where I was. But I was already gone.  
I had sunk down into the ground, Kale slithering by my side. I gave him a small nod, he shot up from the ground. Neji saw Kale shoot up from behind, I kept underground. Clapping my hands together, I made a couple of quick hand signs.  
The rock around me moved in closer, circling around my arms. I grinned as I looked up. _There's no way you can attack me with all this rock._  
Sakura's eyes widened as she saw Kale jump out from the ground, a small smile on her face. _That's using your head, (Y/N). That'll confuse him._  
I shot up out of the ground, catching Neji by surprise. I threw down a heavy fist, the rock smashing down into the ground, sending a rumble through the arena. Neji quickly dodged, "You're not going to land a hit attacking like that." Neji said, shaking his head. "Oh, yeah? Think again!" The clone shouted towards him, the rock fists starting to crumble apart as it turned back into dirt, rolling back down to the ground.  
Neji's eyes widened. _Rock clones._ Neji thought, looking around at the different clones, rising from the ground. _I see. Quite clever. They've distributed their chakra evenly among them, so that even my Byakugan can't pick out the real one._  
"No matter." Neji called out, "You can't hide for long." Neji said, shaking his head.  
"Oh, yeah?" All the clones chanted out at once, "Let's see about that!"  
The five of them charge towards him at once. Some wielding kunai, others surrounded by stone as they charged towards Neji. I shot up from behind, flinging a sharp stone towards him.  
Neji dodged with ease, the tone hitting a clone. It shot through it, melting down into the mud. Neji bounced off of two others, kicking his legs through them. His eyes widened as the burst to mud, trapping his legs down to the ground. I stood in front of him, my hands on my hips.  
"They got him!" Sakura gasped, looking down from the stands. Ino smiled, looking down with her.  
"Looks like it's over for you." I said with a grin, making Neji sink down lower in the mud with my chakra, I stopped when it covered his arms. He didn't try to struggle.  
Neji closed his eyes, his chest slowly sinking down into the mud.  
-

The Kazekage shifted a bit in his seat, his hand tapping impatiently on the seat's armrest, the Hokage looked over at him suspiciously.  
Kazekage kept his eyes down on the match, not faltering his glance. He seemed to not notice Sarutobi's glance. Sarutobi collected his pipe from his lap, loosely holding it between his lips as he lit it again, letting his thoughts collect.  
 _Rasa would never act so hastily. As soon as he came to sit down, I could tell something was off with him._ Sarutobi squinted his eyes over at him, rubbing his chin as he thought.  
But he wasn't given much time to think.  
A loud booming noise echoed from the arena, Sarutobi snapped his head back around to look, Rasa clenched his fists.  
Hinata cupped a hand over her mouth in surprise, her chest tightening as she leaned forward, she started to cough in her hand, shaking silently.  
-

I fell backwards as Neji collided with my chest, the back of my head hitting the ground with a small thud. Splatters of mud and bits of sharp rock flew as Neji jumped from the ground, a surge of chakra hanging thick in the air.  
Neji pounced on me, pushing me back down onto the ground, his hands on my shoulders as he hovered over me, I gritted my teeth as I looked up at him.

"Hey, Hinata," Kiba turned his head around to her, Hinata's started coughing violently, crumpling down on herself. "Hinata, what's wrong, you okay?" Kiba asked, looking down at her shaking form.  
"What?!" Ino screamed, shouting over Hinata's coughs. "(Y/N)!" Sakura gasped as she looked down at me. Kiba sat still, watching Hinata get worse. Drops of blood leaking from her mouth.  
As the crowd responded to Neji's sudden jump, the surprised gasps and shouts started to drown out Hinata's desperate wails. Kiba looked down at her, an odd smile graced his lips.  
 _What if Hinata died?_ Kiba thought, watching her suffering. _I saw how close she and (Y/N) got,_ Kiba's heart started to beat faster, _what if Hinata's trying to_ _ **take**_ _(Y/N) away from me? What if Hinata's trying to..._ _ **change**_ _(Y/N). What if Hinata's trying to_ _ **steal**_ _(Y/N). I can't let her. I can't let Hinata have (Y/N)._ Kiba reached a hand down to her, Akamaru let out a loud whimper, jumping off of Kiba's shoulder.  
Kiba reached his hand closer to Hinata's neck, his eyes widening, "Hinata..." Kiba whispered, his voice buried under the crowd. "Hinata...should...die...die... **die**..." Kiba started to chant the word as he saw the perfect opportunity, Akamaru started to bark at Kiba wildly, standing on the seat between Kiba and Hinata.  
Akamaru pushed Kiba's hand away with a low growl, Kiba looked down at Akamaru with a dark look. His eyes changed to a cold, sharp glance. Far from the Kiba that Akamaru knew.  
-

"Stop..." Neji whispered down at me, his palms digging into my shoulders. I gritted my teeth as I felt my arms go numb. I gave a loud hiss, "Get off me you bastard!" I screamed, kicking Neji in the stomach, but he stayed on top of me.  
"Stop this..." Neji said with a sad look, "I have nothing against you-"  
"Ha! That's touching! You're gonna make me cry." I spat back up at him, "Believe me, I've got plenty against you." My lips burned as I took a line out of Naruto's book, staring angrily up at Neji.  
"I don't understand..." Neji began, "Oh, you don't? And here I thought you were Mr. Know-It-All!" I shouted, raising my face up to his, my arms motionless on the floor, feeling only starting to come back to them.  
"You don't remember what you did to Hinata?! You don't remember how you beat her down, tearing her down when she worked so hard to get here?!"

Kotetsu snapped his head around as he heard Akamaru start to bark, a pool of blood formed on the floor below Hinata. "What is it?" Kotetsu shouted, trying to talk over the crowd. Kiba looked up at him with an aggravated glance, Kotetsu didn't notice.  
"What's the matter? Why..." Kotetsu noticed the blood dripping from her hand, he stood up, putting a hand on her back.  
"Let me have a look at her."  
A voice called out from behind Kiba, Kiba snapped his head around. A member of the Anbu stationed around the arena came down, Kiba gritted his teeth, "She's fine." He growled back at him,  
"It's alright, you can trust me." He put a hand on Kiba's shoulder as he turned to Hinata, Kotetsu's eyes widened as he bent down to her.  
-

"That doesn't concern you." Neji's voice grew sharp again, a shadow crossed over his eyes. "You mocked Hinata, calling her a failure! All that stuff about 'the great Hyuga clan', what a bunch of crap!" I shouted up at him,

The Anbu member carried Hinata up the stands, resting her down onto the higher platform. Akamaru followed, and then shortly after Kiba.

"It doesn't give you the right to call her a failure. That's what I have against you!" I clenched my fists, shouting up at Neji.

The Anbu member but his hand over Hinata's chest, his chakra pouring into her. "Hey! What are you-" Kiba began, he cut him off. "Don't worry. I'm a doctor."

"Fine." Neji began, "As you're so interested, I'll tell you about it." Neji clenched his fists, I glared up at him from the ground, desperately trying to move my hands.  
"For generations, the main household of our clan has practised a secret ninjutsu. Known as the curse mark jutsu." Neji spat out each word like poison, I squinted my eyes up at him. "Curse mark jutsu?" I wondered, Neji closed his eyes.  
"The curse mark is the symbol of a bird locked in its cage. It's the mark of those who are bound to a destiny they cannot escape." Neji explained, his voice calmer and slower. He stood on his knees as he reached to behind his head, untying the thick headband around his forehead. He held the leaf village symbol in his hand tightly, loose bandages and pieces of his hair flew around in the wind.  
I looked up to his forehead with wide eyes. "Is...is that..." I whispered, looking up at the teal manji symbol, two identical lines before and after it. "So that's your curse mark." I said, looking up at him.  
"I was four years old when the leaders of my clan branded this symbol on my forehead with their curse mark jutsu.  
On that same day, a great celebration took place in the hidden leaf village. After many years of war, a peace agreement had at last been reached with the Land of Lightning, and they had sent the head Cloud ninja to sign the peace treaty and join in the celebration. Everyone was there to welcome our old enemies. Every Genin and Jounin in the leaf village.  
Only one clan was absent. The Hyuga clan. Because this was the day on which the heir to the main household was to turn three.  
It was lady Hinata's third birthday." Neji paused, turning his head around to the stands. I followed his gaze silently, sitting up on the ground as I listened to him.  
"Her father, Lord Hiashi Hyuga, is sitting up there. he and my father, Hizashi, are twin brothers. And yet, he entered into the world first, so he is the head of the family, the first born." Neji's anger sparked through his words, his brow furrowed as he talked about Hiashi,  
"While my father, his twin brother, is banished to a lesser branch of the family. It was then, on the day the heir to the main household turned three, that the curse mark was put on me and I was made a bird in a cage, by my own uncle."  
"What's the point of it all?" I asked, Neji looked back at me. "Why have different branches of a family, it doesn't make sense. And then the curse mark," I crossed my arms, "Not saying my families perfect, but at least I was given a curse mark for a reason." I mumbled, giving a small shrug.  
"I can assure you of one thing," Neji began, "It's not simply for decoration.  
You see, this is more than a mark that we wear. It is also the instrument by which they keep us in our place. We live with the fear that they will use this curse mark to kill us any time they wish.  
Fear, that is what we live with. And we live with it every day, only in death are we free from it. This is how the power of the Byakugan is kept sealed away.  
Only the Hyuga possess the secret of this unique form of kekkei genkai, and of course, there are many who would steal it from us. That is why we exist. It is the purpose of the branch family to defend that secret, and to serve the keepers of that secret, the main household, obediently and without question for the rest of our lives. That is our destiny.  
Or was..." Neji paused, his voice turned soft. "Until that night...they went too far." Neji clenched his fists, anger burning up inside of him. "When they **murdered** my father."  
My eyes widened as I looked up at him, Neji kept his eyes closed, trying to keep his anger down. I kept silent as I listened to him,  
"One night, someone entered the main household and abducted lady Hinata.  
Lord Hiashi quickly caught and killed the man. And who was this intruder? Stealing through the shadows in the dead of night, wearing a mask over his face?  
It was none other than the head Cloud ninja of the Land of Lightning, the man who had just signed an alliance with us. It was obvious to everyone that he was after the secret of the Byakugan. But the Land of Lightning professed shock at this willful murder of their ninja. They claimed that the Hidden Leaf Village was in violation of their treaty, and they demanded recompense.  
Things got worse and worse, until it looked like war would break out anew. The Leaf Village wanted above all things to avoid a war, so at last they made a deal." Neji paused,  
"A deal?" I asked, my voice silent as I looked up at Neji. "A life for a life." Neji began again, "The Land of Lightning demanded the death of the person who had slain their ninja. If there was to be peace, Lord Hiashi must die.  
The Leaf Village accepted their terms." Neji started to squeeze the metal symbol of the Leaf, the metal starting to creak as his hand shook.  
"And so, to advert a war, a man was killed. But not Hiashi." Neji was visibly shaking with anger,  
"My father was killed in his place, in order to protect the main household!" Neji's anger broke as he shouted, his milky white eyes tightened, the Byakugan striking up veins around his eyes, they burned with fury.  
"Only in death was my father finally free of this evil curse mark.  
They were so much alike, twin brothers, but their destinies had been determined long ago, when one was born a few seconds after the other." Neji looked back up at me, our eyes meeting.  
"And this match is the same. Your destiny was decided the moment I was chosen as you opponent."


	61. A Failure's True Power

I rose to my feet, blood dripped down my left fist.  
I didn't pause as I ran towards him, sinking my knuckles into the side of his face. Neji didn't flinch as he fell to the ground, I fell next to him, my legs shaking.  
"You're such an idiot." I whispered down to him, Neji slowly turned his head to look at me, his left eye closed. "Your father's death has nothing to do with your destiny. If you think that I'd buy that," I clenched my fists, standing on my knees as I looked down at the dirt. "You're wrong." The words buzzed in my throat.  
"You...you don't understand." Neji's voice was quiet, but strong. I turned to him, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. I raised his body off the ground, our faces inches apart as I stared into his eyes,  
"All this destiny crap..." I began, Neji grabbed onto my wrist, his teeth clenched. "You don't know what it's like to be branded with a mark," Neji's voice was furious, his milky eyes blazing into mine, "A mark that sets you apart, a mark that can never be wiped away!"  
At that I smiled, Neji shifted, taken back by the grin. "I know what that's like," I answered back, my eyes closed. Neji stayed silent, "Well, big deal. Who cares?" I said with a shrug,  
"You think you've got troubles? Well, I've got news for you Neji, you're not the only _special_ one around here." I scoffed as I let go on Neji, he fell back down.  
"Did you ever think that Hinata might be suffering as much as you are? It's not her fault that her father was born ahead of yours," I said, shaking my head as I looked down at him. "But you resent her for it. You disrespect her even when she's trying so hard to improve herself. All she wanted was your respect. That's what she was fighting for, even though it almost killed her." I clenched my fists, "And what was that all about, anyway?!" I seethed, starting to shout out my words.  
"I thought it was your _destiny_ to serve the main household, not beat it to a bloody pulp! After all, you've said about how you can't fight your destiny, you don't really believe in it either, do you?"  
-

Kiba stood as he watched the Anbu member tend to Hinata, Akamaru sat next to her, staring up at Kiba as if he was trying to protect her.  
 _Her colour is coming back to her face._ Kiba thought as he watched, _he did it._ Kiba thought with more annoyance than glee as he looked to him, _These Anbu Black Ops, they're good._  
"She'll be alright now." He said, looking at Kiba through the corner of his eye. _That boy,_ he thought, still tending to Hinata. _I saw that look in his eye. I saw what he wanted to do._ A grin came to his face, _(Y/N)'s friends are more interesting than I thought._ "She just needs some more rest." The fake Anbu member said with a nod, Hinata laid on the floor in front of them, asleep.  
-

"That's it!" I shouted, standing on my feet. Neji stood as well, at least ten feet away, I stared him down. "I'm going to end this fight once and for all," I said angrily, my fists loosely clenched.  
"Good luck on that," Neji said, shaking his head. "You're lucky to even be able to _move_ your arms. How are you going to win this fight without being able to use your chakra against me?" Neji asked smugly,  
"You think that Byakugan of yours sees everything," I called back, "You think you can see everyone's weakness, isn't that right?" "That's right," Neji grinned, "But if you think you're the one who can prove me wrong, be my guest." Neji's eye twitched, I thoroughly pissed him off.  
"I'm going to show you that you're wrong about a lot of things," I called out, stomping a foot down on the ground as I stared at him. _Easier said than done,_ I thought, gritting my teeth. _It feels like I have barely any chakra left, I haven't felt this drained before since training with the pervy sage._ I clicked my tongue, _maybe...that's it._ I clenched my fists, looking by my shoulder, Kale was there, motionless, silent.  
"I'm sorry Kale," I whispered down to him, he looked up at me with a blank stare. "I'll have to use it." I said, turning to him. He ignored me, dropping to the ground.  
I lifted my heavy arms up, they ached as I clasped my hands into a sign. I closed my eyes, Jiraiya's words starting to come through, _the Daigan,_ his lecture began, almost instantly I was consumed.  
" _The Daigan isn't like other kekkei genkai. While the Daigan at first seems like a visible Dojutsu. Not only does it affect the eye, but it changes the body as well." Jiraiya explained as he looked down at me, my eyes widened as I listened to him. "When you first start to use the Daigan, the power its self-shocks the body, which is why your eyes start to bleed at first," Jiraiya said with a nod, holding up his index finger. "But the more you use the Daigan, the more your eyes will get used to the power, and the more your skill will sharpen. But that still doesn't weaken the blow on the body," Jiraiya put his hands on his hips, I tilted my head slightly. "What do you mean?" I asked, squinting my eyes up at him. "When the Daigan is used, it can do more than make the people around you fall asleep, (Y/N)." Jiraiya explained, hovering a finger in front of my forehead. "It also gives the body a surge of power, which if used properly, can open the eight gates," As soon as he mentioned the gates, I gasped. Just like Lee, I thought with a smile. "But there's no way you'd be close enough to open the first gate right now, your body's not used too that much chakra at once. Even though there'll be a surge of power, it's not going to be great enough to open anything. But it can still harm your body!" Jiraiya warned once again, I nodded my head. "Yeah, yeah. So when are you going to teach me to open up the gates?!" I asked excitedly, Jiraiya shook his head. "It's too dangerous. And with the curse..." Jiraiya stopped as he saw my smile drop, "It could open it again." He said simply, I nodded.  
That's it. I'll have to use the Daigan, I need more chakra. _  
I closed my eyes as I focused on my eyes, heat rose to them. Neji took a step back,  
"Proctor." Neji snapped his head around to him, Genma looked over at Neji. "This has gone on long enough. I suggest you stop the match." Neji called over to Genma, Genma raised his brow. "What, are you forfeiting?" Genma asked, putting his hands in his pockets. Neji clenched his fists as he looked back at me, I kept my focus.  
Neji gave a sigh as he looked over at me. "No." Neji said, squinting his eyes down at me, I clicked my tongue.  
My hands locked together, my eyes starting up in a burning fever, "It's pointless, I told you-!" Neji's voice caught in his throat, my shoulders popped as my arms jolted back to life, my eyes widened as the familiar pain tingled through them. A surge of energy washed over me, I could hear my heart beating wildly in my chest.  
"Why bother? You have no chakra left to use." Neji scoffed, putting his hands on his hips as he looked at me, my head down as I continued to focus, my teeth grinded together. Neji shook his head.  
"Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?" Neji asked, I opened my eyes. I looked up at him, my eyes tingling with power. The blood in my eyes evaporated from the heat, changing the muddy orange tint to a bright electric yellow.  
Neji held his breath. "Because," I began in a slightly deeper voice than my own, "Because people called me a failure." I spat the words out, visibly shaking with anger. "I'll prove them wrong."  
I let out a loud yell, feeling my feet sink down into the ground. Neji clenched his fits, his eyes sparked to life, his Byakugan staring me down. I could feel the air around me change as the chakra ran through me.  
 _What?!_ Neji's eyes were wide as he watched me, _It can't be! Where is that chakra coming from?!_ Neji's eyes widened as he watched me, he started to shake. "It's...it's impossible!" Neji gasped out, "What...what are they?"  
-

 _Impossible! That chakra!_ Hiashi's eyes widened as he looked down, "No way!" Tenten gasped, cupping a hand over her mouth. "(Y/N)'s even cooler than I thought!" She exclaimed with a small squeal.  
The fake Anbu member looked up from Hinata, a wide grin under his mask as he sense the chakra. _You really don't disappoint, do you, (Y/N)?_ He thought with a small chuckle, Kiba's eyes were wide as he watched, completely ignoring Hinata on the floor.  
"But how?" Kotetsu said with a gasp, "That kids chakra points were blocked, there's no way..." Kotetsu said in disbelief.  
Sarutobi looked over to Rasa, Rasa dug his nails down into the chairs armrests, Sarutobi had been watching him closely during the entire match. The entire time it seemed that Rasa had been on edge, waiting for something, Sarutobi rubbed his chin as he turned back to the match. _No question._ Sarutobi put his pipe back down on his lap, _(Y/N) has accessed the power of the Daigan. But by the looks of it, they've barely scraped the surface. But where did they learn to harness its strength? There's no way (Y/N) could have been in contact with Orochimaru, I had Jiraiya..._ Sarutobi clenched his fists,  
 _ **Jiraiya!**_ Sarutobi thought furiously, _how much did you teach them, you fool?!_ Sarutobi stared down into the arena, forgetting Rasa to his side.  
The Kazekage was smiling ear to ear, anticipation eating him alive as he saw the Daigan spark into my eyes. But he had to hold himself back, just for a little longer. Just a little longer.  
-

Neji held his arms in front of his face as the wind blew, loose dirt and rocks started to fly as I shouted, chakra filling my veins as I felt the Daigan burn into my skin. "Here it goes." I whispered to myself, dropping the hand sign, I balled my hands into fists.  
Neji struggled to keep his footing, the ground beneath him starting to become loose. _Incredible!_ Neji's hair whipped around in the wind, _this energy...what kind of chakra is this?!_ Neji gritted his teeth as the air became thick with chakra.  
 _This..._ I thought, looking down at my buzzing hands. _This is more power than I felt before...this is greater than the time on the bridge...I...hate this feeling..._ I clenched my burning fists, _but it's all I've got, isn't it?_ I thought, looking back to Neji.  
I jumped up in a flash. Neji's eyes widened at the sudden movement, he quickly raised his palms, looking for where I had gone. He caught me to the back as I flung down a handful of shuriken, "Rotation!" Neji shouted, as if he was commanding his body to move. He spun on his heel, his chakra spinning around him. He slowed himself down, catching the shuriken in one hand. I twisted in the air, bouncing off the arena's wall as I turned to him, Neji's eyes came into mine as he flew the shuriken back up at me, I dodged them with ease.  
Neji's eyes widened as the shuriken sunk into the wall, "What?!" Neji breathed out, his fists tightly clenched. _They're faster than before, what's going on here?!_ Neji squinted his eyes as he started to get angrier, twisting his body around to look for me, I was right behind him.  
His eyes widened as he saw me come down on him, throwing a punch towards him, Neji quickly dodged to the side. I twirled the kunai I had in my hand, the glint of metal caught Neji's eyes, he quickly grabbed onto one of his own.  
The two metal blades clicked as the hit mid air, I fell back to the ground, jumping off of it to retrieve the blade. Neji copied me like a mirror, the blades clinked once again as we both landed on the ground.  
Only a flash was visible to the crowd above.  
"Okay, you," I called out to Neji as I landed on the ground, Neji gritted his teeth as he felt the long cut on his arm, I grinned as he noticed the blood dripping down his hand.  
"I heard you like close combat, huh?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. Neji squinted his eyes as he looked at me, I bounced off of the ground, my heel leaving a hole in the dirt as I charged towards him, Neji raised his kunai once again.  
"It may be the Hyuga way to cave into destiny!" I shouted, my sight locked on Neji, "Well, it's not mine!" I clenched my fists, Neji's eyes widened. "If you think it's futile to fight, then don't! Just stand there and take it!"  
Neji gritted his teeth, _quickly! I must use my rotation!_ Neji jolted onto his heel, "I'll show you how wrong you are, even if it's the last thing I do!" I shouted, jumping on Neji in a blur.  
A loud boom exploded through the arena, a cloud of dirt and debris was the only thing visible for the crowd above, the arena grew silent. Eerily silent.

As the dust dispersed, only two equally sized craters were left of the explosion.  
Genma got up from the ground, shaking the dirt off of his clothes as he stood, standing between the craters. _Man,_ Genma thought, out of breath, _that's some chakra that kids got. Never seen anything like it._ Genma thought, cleaning the dirt off of his stick. _No way that Hyuga kid could've..._ Genma gulped, looking at the crater behind him. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"B-But..." Sakura gasped out, "Which one's...which one's (Y/N)?" Sakura's eyes were wide, Ino started to shake, "D-Don't ask me! I don't know! I don't even know what just happened!" Ino shouted back, holding her self, "EEK!" Ino screamed as she saw an arm raise from the ground,

Neji rose from the crater. Covered head to toe in dirt, he coughed violently as I rose out of the ground. Standing on his knees, he slowly rose to his feet.  
Neji held onto his bleeding arm. The cut I inflicted on it got worse, small pebbles wedged into it, making the cut deeper. Blood dripped, making a trail as he limped towards the other crater. The stands were silent, everyone's eyes were on Neji as he moved across the arena. Genma was frozen solid.  
Neji stood over the crater, dirt still hung thick in the air over it. He was out of breath, he fell to his knees before it.  
"(Y-Y/N)..." Neji called out my name, his voice was soft. He could barely make out a figure in the ground, "You...idiot..." Neji said between shallow breaths as he grabbed out for me. The figure twitched as he pulled what he thought to be my leg, a loud hiss sounded after him.  
Neji shouted as Kale lept towards him. Kale pushed Neji's chest back, as soon as I felt Neji land on the ground above me, I pounced. Jumping out of the ground like a bullet, I launched my fist directly into Neji's face.  
My knuckles dug into his chin, I heard his teeth snap together as I hit his jaw, sending him flying back. Blood dripped down from his mouth, a drop sprayed against my cheek as I hit him.  
Neji landed on the ground in front of me. I stood over him, my chest aching. I was out of breath.  
My eyes turned back into their normal (E/C) hue, my eyelids slumping down. My legs shook underneath me, I felt like any moment I would collapse.  
I looked down at my hand, it was a bloody mess. My fingernails were torn and jagged, fresh blood dripping from them mixed with dirt, long gashes and bruises marked my knuckles where I punched Neji, and the skin of my palm was burnt from the Daigan's chakra. Neji didn't look any better, spawn against the floor.  
"I..." Neji called out in a raspy voice, I looked down at him. "I can't move..." He called out painfully, Genma looked down at him, popping his stick back into his mouth.  
(Y/N) used that snake of there's as bait, Genma thought, watching Kale circle up my leg, wrapping himself back on my shoulders. _And then they waited for their chance to get Neji. Even when they were getting pounded into the ground, they never stopped planning their next move. They never lost faith in their ability to win. (Y/N) knows that believing in yourself can give you the power to change your destiny. And on top of that, they've got hell of a left hook._ Genma thought with a smile, putting his hands on his hips.  
I took a couple steps closer to Neji, he stared up at me from the ground. "I...I should've guessed you'd of used that _snake_ of yours." Neji scoffed, "That's how you got through the preliminaries, afterall." Neji sighed, "I was careless."  
"Shut up." I said, looking down at him with a small smile. Neji's eyes widened. "You still think...you still think you can't change your own destiny, don't you? If you weren't on the ground like that, I would punch you again." I said through shallow breaths, Neji's eyes relaxed.  
"Heh..." Neji gave a small chuckle, my eyes widened as I heard the sound. He closed his eyes as he passed out. I smiled down at him.  
"Hm." Genma gave a smile of his own as he raised his arm, "The winner is,  
 **(Y/N) (L/N)** "

 _To be continued..._


	62. The Final Rounds Get Complicated!

"Heh! You did it!" Sakura screamed from the stands, Ino giggled next to her as the crowd started to cheer. I blushed, putting my head down as I heard people shouting from the stands.  
"Wow, that (Y/N) kid really knows how to fight," Kotetsu said, clapping.  
I looked up at the stands, people were waving down to me, some people were chanting my name, others were just screaming and laughing. I gulped, scratching the back of my neck as I looked up at them. I giggled, as I waved up to them, jumping excitedly as I made my way to the exit. Genma watched me with a grin,  
 _Incredible._ He thought, gnawing on the other end of his stick. _Even after that fight, they still have the energy to run around like that. That kid has amazing stamina..._ Genma paused as he watched me collapse in the staircase, Naruto laughed as I fell face first, he pulled me over his shoulder. Genma chuckled, "On second thought, maybe they're human after all."  
Sakura sat still in the stands, looking down at her feet. She breathed a quiet sigh, it was drowned out by the crowd's impatient shouts and screams. _(Y/N) just keeps getting stronger and stronger,_ she thought, "Wow! They did it! They won the fight!" Sakura heard a girl say behind her, she turned her head around. "Mhm, yeah. That (L/N) kid pulverized that Hyuga." Another girl said, sitting next to her. "Still...don't you think it's a bit scary having a Daigan wielder run around the village?" She asked her friend, her friend shook her head. "I don't think so. It makes me feel a bit safer, I think. Besides, look how cute they are!" The girl squealed, Sakura looked back down to the ground.  
 _I hate to admit it, (Y/N),_ Sakura thought, _but I envy you. But...but watching your battle has made me realize that I have to work hard too. Or I'll never get anywhere..._ Sakura let out a small sigh.  
"So, (Y/N) beat Neji." Shikamaru thought out loud, Shino looked over at him leaning on the railing. "I thought (Y/N) was like me, one of the dorky and uncool guys," Shikamaru said with a sigh, Shino squinted his eyes over at him. "Dorky and uncool?" Shino repeated, furrowing his brow. "I thought I'd be someone they'd look up too...someone to save (Y/N) when they're in danger. What a drag." Shikamaru sighed, Shino turned to him, "Stupid." Shino whispered, Shikamaru couldn't hear him over the crowd.  
"(Y/N) was able to draw upon the Daigan's power by them self," Kurenai began, looking over to Asuma. "Yeah." Asuma said, still in shock. "Even the people from the village seem totally surprised."  
Sarutobi gave a small sigh, _still, it's remarkable. To be able to use the Daigan like that from only a months training._ Sarutobi thought as he looked back to the Kazekage. He seemed anxious, as if he wanted to get away from the matches, like he was craving to be somewhere else. _Rasa wouldn't,_ thought Sarutobi, _he wouldn't break the peace treaty to obtain the Daigan. But even so,_ Sarutobi saw me and Naruto finish climbing the staircase. _I should keep a better watch on (Y/N), there have still been no signs of Orochimaru. He's planning something big, I can tell.  
-_  
A couple of medics came down into the arena carrying a stretcher, they placed they white cloth down next to Neji, he opened his eyes back up as they started to put him on the stretcher. Genma turned to him, his hands in his pockets.  
"Even a caged bird was smart enough, and will be able to figure out how to open the door to its cage with its beak." Genma began, he met Neji's eyes. Neji stayed silent, "The dream of flying and breaking free is too great to resist."  
Neji looked up at the sky, a single yellow bird glided above him. "But this time..." Genma paused as the medics picked the stretcher up, "You lost."

Neji was laid down on a hospital bed, two doctors were there with him. One was checking to make sure everything was in place, the other was scribbling things down on a clipboard. The doctor took his bleeding arm and quickly cleaned it, picking the pebbles out with a tweezer before bandaging it up.  
"Good news." The doctor said, putting Neji's arm back down. "No damage to your external organs. It's really interesting," The doctor tapped his chin, "Watching that fight, looking at that crater, and the damage on your back. Well, to put it simply, that fall should've broken your back. But it only slightly scraped it. It looks like the (L/N) used their chakra to soften the ground as you fell, interesting." The doctor said with a nod, turning to the other with the clipboard. "It seems that you've used up all your chakra, you should be alright after a good night rest." The doctor said with a nod.  
 _(Y/N)..._ Neji thought, looking up at the white tile ceiling. _"I'll show you how wrong you are, even if it's the last thing I do!"_ My words run in Neji's head, he closed his eyes.  
"Huh? Lord Hyuga?" One of the doctors called out, the door clicked open just as Neji opened his eyes. He shifted in the bed, uncomfortably turning his head to see the door.  
"I'm sorry, but," Hiashi paused, "Could you please step out for a moment?" He asked the doctors, the one with the clipboard continued to write something down. "Well, we're not supposed too." The other doctor said, turning to him. "It won't take long." Hiashi continued, the doctor sighed. "Yes, of course." The two doctors left the Hyugas alone, closing the door behind them.  
Neji gritted his teeth as he rose, pain struck his chest as he struggled to sit up. He dropped his legs off of the bed, they dangled above the ground. Hiashi stood in front of the door. Neji put his hands on his knees, keeping his head down. "What do you want with me?" Neji asked coldly, Hiashi gave a small sigh. "You know that day." Hiashi called out, Neji turned his head around to him. "Well," Hiashi paused. "I've come to tell you the truth about what happened."  
"What are you saying?" Neji asked, squinting his eyes over at his uncle. Hiashi looked down at the ground. Silence broke between them.  
"That day..." Hiashi's voice broke, Neji's eyes widened. "That day I was fully prepared to die." "What?" Neji seethed, furrowing his brow. "What are you talking about?!" Neji clenched his fists, "That day, my father was forced to pose as you, and was murdered for the sake of the family!" Neji shouted, his words were sharp, he threw them at Hiashi like knives. And by the look on his face, they pierced.  
Hiashi closed his eyes as he reached into his robe, pulling out a scroll. He walked over to Neji, holding the scroll out for him to take. Neji looked down at it.  
"The truth you seek." Hiashi began, "The truth is here in this scroll." Hiashi said, Neji turned his head away. "Of course." Neji scoffed, "It's only excuses made for the convenience of the head family." Neji spat out, Hiashi placed the scroll down on the bed next to him. "The person you are now," Hiashi paused, looking down at the scroll. "Should be able to understand."  
Neji looked down at the scroll, his eyes widening. "That...that writing..." Neji said in disbelief, quickly taking the scroll be his side. Hiashi took a step back, watching Neji unroll the scroll.  
Neji quickly read the words etched into the parchment, he read quickly but delicately, not skipping a single character.  
 _Neji, I am afraid that I only have a little time left._ The scroll began, Neji instantly recognized his father's handwriting. _And I want to use that limited time to tell you something._ Neji squinted his eyes down at the parchment, _tell me something?_ Neji wondered, furrowing his brow.  
 _The head cloud ninja from the Land of Lightning tried to abduct Hinata. But Lord Hiashi killed the would-be kidnapper. However, the Land of Lightning refused to even acknowledge the abduction attempt, and instead only made trouble about the head ninja's death. The demands for retribution were completely unreasonable.  
"It cannot be helped." Lord Hiashi said to the Hokage, his head held high. "With my one life, the entire village can be saved." Hiashi said, Sarutobi bent his head down. "Just hold on, Hiashi." His father called out, Hiashi turned to him. "Please don't be so hasty." He said, Hiashi looked down at the ground. "The Hyuga family's Kekkei Genkai is one of the most important strengths of our village. It's the sworn duty of the head family to protect it forever, no matter what." His father quickly said, taking a step closer to him.  
"Yes, but I must put aside that duty if keeping it means involving our village in a desperate war." Hiashi said with a sigh, "I understand that," His father began, taking a step closer. "But that is why..." He paused, "Huh?" Hiashi wondered, looking up at him. "Isn't that why we have branch families, after all?" His father said softly, Hiashi's eyes widened as Hizashi took a step closer. "We'll tale Hizashi's corpse and hand it over in place of yours." His father said, looking into his eyes. Hiashi was frozen solid. "Do not worry," His father began once more, "Hizashi fully understands his duty."  
"B-But..." Hiashi began, clenching his fist to steady his voice. "Yes, but what they're really after is the secret that lies within the Byakugan." Hiashi said, taking a step forward. "And when Hizashi passes away," Hiashi's voice quivered at the thought, "that power will be sealed away forever." Hiashi paused, "I doubt that the Land of Lightning will consent to that." Hiashi said, looking his father in the eye. "Hm." He said, furrowing his brow. "Yes, you may be right about that. But there may be a way around it." His father took a short pause, "The Land of Lightning's demand simply says to hand over Hiashi Hyuga's dead body. If we pretend that we're agreeing to their terms, and hand over Hizashi who looks identical to you," Hizashi walked closer to them, "then they can't pursue it any further than that." "But it's not-!" Hiashi held back his tongue as he looked down. "Look, Hiashi. Don't concern yourself with this. Any of your predecessors would've done the same to protect the Hyuga clan. Even siblings must have the courage to sacrifice each other when needed." His father continued, Hiashi kept his head down. "This must be. This is the fate of the head family, it's destiny. Those born to the Hyuga clan bear the burden of ruling." Hiashi kept his fists clenched, sweat collected on his brow as he listened to his father's words, Hizashi stepped in front of him, "What's wrong, Lord Hiashi?" His brother called out to him, "You're usually so confident and determined." Hizashi said with a smile, Hiashi snapped his head up to meet his gaze. "This is far too important to act recklessly! It's not that easy-" Hiashi's voice caught in his throat, a loud gasp as he drew a breath in before he bent down over his brother's fist, he coughed a spray of wet, it dripped to the floor. Hiashi fell to his knees, holding his stomach. Hizashi stood over him,  
"H-Hizashi..." Hiashi called out, "N-No...y-you mustn't!" Hiashi desperately reached a hand out to his brother, "Please, Hiashi," Hizashi called down to him with a softer tone, "Let me do this."_  
 _Hiashi's eyes widened. "But...b-but you have Neji..." Hiashi's voice came out in a grunt, "Why do you choose death? To save the head family? It makes no sense." Hiashi said, shaking his head. "You must understand," Hizashi called out, looking down at his brother on the floor. Hiashi looked up to him, their eyes met.  
"For a long time, I have resented the head family. To tell the truth, even now, I am bitter." Hizashi said, furrowing his brow. "I'm not doing this because you're a part of the head family. I want to die protecting you because you are my brother, Hiashi." Hizashi's voice was soft but with a cutting edge as he looked down at his brother, "It's the first time I've felt free enough to choose my own path, the first time I've truly had freedom." Hizashi explained as he closed his eyes, "I've always only shown Neji my ugly side. But this time, it's different. This time, I've finally come here to act in the way that I believe it best." Hizashi turned away from his brother, walking towards the exit of the room. He stood in front of the door, looking back to his brother, "I ask you, please give Neji a message for me." Hizashi smiled though a pain struck his heart,  
"Tell him that I wasn't killed to protect the head family, but rather to protect my sibling, family, and village. And by my own free will, I chose death and I chose freedom." Hizashi move to the door once more, Hiashi moved up, pain stinging his chest.  
"You..." Hiashi shouted, "You think that choosing death is the same as choosing to be free?!" Hiashi cried out, Hizashi paused. "Don't you see, brother?" Hizashi answered back, "I have become free." Hizashi opened the front door without a second look back,  
"Goodbye." Was the last thing he said.  
Forge your own destiny, Neji. Your fate is something you create with your own hands. _  
"Father..." Neji whispered down to the scroll as he sat on the edge of the bed, silently shaking. Neji's eyes widened as he looked down.  
Hiashi was on his knees, his head down to the floor as he bowed to Neji. Neji jumped, the scroll crinkling in his hands as he saw Hiashi down on his knees.  
"This is the truth..." Hiashi said, his voice slightly muffled by the floor. "I'm sorry." Hiashi whispered, Neji looked down.  
"Please, Lord Hiashi. Don't bow to me."  
Neji closed his eyes as he felt tears slipping from them, the warm drops rolled down his face. But a smile was still on his lips as he thought silently to himself.  
 _Father,_ Neji called to him, _I can't be sure if a person's destiny is like a cloud, floating on a fixed current that it can't escape. Or if people are able to ride on whatever breeze they choose. I don't know. I don't completely understand it yet. And maybe the destination is the same, no matter what you choose.  
Just when you choose one course, along comes someone who picked a different path, one that's devoted to living life to it's fullest. There's real strength to be found in that love of life. I finally understand that because of this latest battle. Now, father, I have only one goal.  
To become stronger so I won't lose to anyone again. That's what I feel my goal is now. _Neji turned his head around, looking out to the window by the hospital bed. _Father, I wish you could see these birds flying. They're finding their freedom too.  
-_

The crowd never died down. But their shouts and screams changed from cheering to aggravated. They were shouting for the next match, people chanting and stomping their feet against the stands, others were clapping to a tune. Rasa let out a low chuckle,  
"This crowd is certainly energized," Rasa began, Sarutobi looked over to him. "That's because it was a terrific fight," Sarutobi said with a nod. "Yes, it certainly was," Rasa said, tapping his finger against the side of his chair. "But," Rasa began, "Hm?" Sarutobi squinted his eyes over to him, "It's also anticipation." Rasa said plainly, Sarutobi gave a long sigh. "It's likely that the shinobi leaders, feudal lords, and other spectators are looking forward to this match. You remember how the crowd got when they were waiting for the (L/N). Now they're waiting for the Uchiha, too. You and I both know they're the only reasons so many people showed up." Rasa said with a small shrug, "By the way, the Uchiha wasn't at the opening ceremony. He has arrived already, hasn't he?" Rasa asked, Sarutobi grumbled as he turned his head to Raido.  
Raido bent down to him, cupping the side of his face as he talked.  
"There's been no news of Sasuke yet," Raido whispered, "And there's the issue of Orochimaru. Please, before everyone starts making trouble, disqualify Sasuke."

"Hey! What's going on here?! Hurry up and start the next match!" I heard an angry man shout, others going along with him, I let out a loud sigh.  
"I wonder what's going on." Ino said with a sigh, "The next match. Sasuke should be here by now." Ino frowned as she looked down, Sakura kept silent. _Sasuke._ She thought, looking down at the ground.  
Shikamaru groaned, I looked over at him to my side. Naruto was too my left and Shino leaned on the railing next to Shikamaru. "That Sasuke," Shikamaru began, "What in the world does he think he's doing?" Shikamaru grumbled, I leaned back on the railing. "Forfeiting?" Shikamaru scoffed, "A wise man never courts danger," Shino began, his voice a sharp whisper. "Leading to a wise decision," Shino said, looking down. "Nicely said." I nodded, Shino looked over at me.  
Naruto sighed as he looked around the platform, eyeing Gaara in the corner.  
"Huh, what are you talking about?" Naruto called out, Shikamaru turned his head over to Naruto. "He's definitely gonna be here, believe it!" Naruto shouted over the crowd, "Yeah! That jerk promised me." I agreed with a nod, holding a fist up in the air, the same one I'd use to punch him if he didn't show up. Naruto went back to staring at Gaara, Gaara caught onto his stare. Their eyes locked in a chilling glance.  
"What ya staring at?" I asked, slapping Naruto on the back. He jumped slightly, Gaara's gaze rose to me, his glance calming almost instantly. "But seriously," I sighed, "What is he doing? If he doesn't get here soon, he'll be disqualified."  
-

"I have no choice." Sarutobi said with a sigh, Raido looking at him. "Sasuke is disqualified."  
"Right." Raido nodded, Rasa turned in his chair. "Sasuke Uchiha is disqualified?" Rasa's eyes widened, "Yes. I'm afraid that this has to be done." Sarutobi said with a nod.

Kankuro gritted his teeth as he looked over at Temari, "What are we gonna do now?" Kankuro whispered angrily, Temari put her hands on her shoulders. "If he doesn't show up, our strategy is ruined." Kankuro clenched his fists, "This is really bad!" Temari whispered back, Gaara was focused on me across the room.

"Lord Hokage," Rasa called to him, "I ask you to consider waiting a little longer before disqualifying Sasuke Uchiha." Rasa said, Sarutobi turned to him suspiciously. "I understand your point." Raido began, taking a step closer. "But no matter how excellent a shinobi he may be, he's late. And we can't make special allowances. If there's no clear reason to make all the shinobi leaders and feudal lords wait, then there's no reason not to disqualify him immediately." Raido quickly explained, trying his best to talk over the crowd roaring below.  
"I see." Rasa said, turning his head away from Raido. "Then it's good I do have a clear reason," Rasa began, "Including myself, most of the shinobi leaders and feudal lords here came simply to see the (L/N) and Uchiha's matches." Rasa held onto his armrest tightly, "Yes, but still-" "They're the only members left of their clans. And I know that the Land of Wind especially is hoping for a bout between Sasuke and our Gaara." Rasa cut Raido off, quickly explaining the circumstances before them. Sarutobi turned his head down, Raido bent down to him. "Lord Hokage," Raido called out to him.  
 _There's no guarantee that Sasuke will come...but..._ Sarutobi thought, rubbing his chin.  
"Very well, then." Sarutobi called out, Rasa relaxed a bit. "We will make an exception. We shall postpone this match and wait." Sarutobi said with a sigh, Rasa nodded. "But Lord Hokage, I must protest!" Raido called out to him once more, "Inform the proctor right away." Sarutobi commanded, Raido let out a small sigh, standing back up straight.  
"Yes, sir." Raido said, rushing away.  
Sarutobi turned to Rasa once again, his suspicion of him growing stronger. "However," Sarutobi called out, Rasa turned his head to him. "It's unusual for you to insist so strongly on something, Lord Kazekage," Sarutobi said questioningly. "To display the full strength of our villages ninja, no opponent but an Uchiha would do." Rasa answered back calmly, "This is a big chance for Sasuke, yes, but a big opportunity for us as well."  
-

"I understand." Genma nodded, Raido let out a loud sigh. "It's just crazy, isn't it?" Raido groaned, Genma nodded again. "Yeah, I know." Genma sighed as Raido left the arena.  
Genma turned to the crowd. "Listen everyone!" Genma called up to the stands, "One of the competitors from the next battle has not arrived yet, so we're going to postpone this match briefly and simply jump ahead to the next battle." Genma's voice echoed around the stadium, angry shouts and disappointed cries followed.

Asuma scratched his head, "Just what in the world could Sasuke be doing, anyway?" Asuma wondered with a sigh. Ino gasped, "So cool!" She squealed, "That means Sasuke is still in this!" Ino gasped, clapping her hands together.  
"Well, that's good." I said quietly, "Hey!" Shikamaru gulped, "That means my battles one match closer now! What a drag!" Shikamaru mumbled, scratching his head.  
"Now, onto the next battle. Shino and Kankuro, come down!" Genma called out to them, Kankuro gulped. _My match doesn't matter at all now._ Kankuro thought with a sigh, Shino put his hand on the railing. _Besides, I don't want to reveal the mechanism of my trained crow puppet to the enemy before our plan comes into fruition._ Kankuro looked over to Temari, she nodded to him.  
"Proctor!" Kankuro shouted down to Genma from the platform, "I withdraw." Kankuro said, my eyes widened as I looked over at Kankuro. "What?" I hissed.  
"I withdraw, so please, advance to the next match."  
The crowd erupted in another wave of jeers. Genma let out a loud irritated grumble, he tapped his foot on the ground.  
"Due to Kankuro's withdraw, Shino Aburame wins by default." Genma announced to the crowd,  
Temari clicked her tongue.  
She threw her hand down, it folded open with a gust of wind. She quickly floated down, landing in front of Genma, the crowd quickly changed. Genma raised his brow, "And you are?" He asked, Temari held onto her fan with one hand, her other on her hip. "It's my turn, right?" Temari called out with a grin, I leaned over the railing as I watched her, she smiled at my stare.  
"Well, you're an eager one, aren't you?" Genma said, putting his hands in his pockets. "Fine. Let's start the next match then." Genma called out, "Hey! You up there." Genma shouted up to the platform, staring at Shikamaru. Shikamaru gulped, taking a step back from the railing. "Oh, come on!" Shikamaru groaned, "What are you doing, moving these matches up like this?!" Shikamaru whined, "Why does it have to be my stupid match that get's pushed up?" Shikamaru gritted his teeth, tightly holding onto the railing. "Oh, man, this is such a drag!"  
"Shikamaru Nara," Genma's voice boomed around the stadium, "Come on."  
"Great, if it's going to be like this, maybe I'll withdraw too-" "ALRIGHT!" I shouted, slapping Shikamaru on the back, he shouted as he lost his balance. "Go on, Shikamaru! You can do it!" I cheered, Shikamaru screamed as he fell forward off the platform, landing face first into the arena. I stood above, cheering him on.  
 _Yeah._ Shikamaru looked up at me, _thanks a lot (Y/N)._

 _To be continued..._


	63. Zero Motivation, The Guy With Cloud Envy

Shikamaru laid flat on his back, glaring up at me on the platform. "Come on Shikamaru!" I cheered, Shikamaru let out a loud groan. "I thought you needed a _push_ of encouragement!"  
Shikamaru looked up at my smiling face, Shikamaru turned his head away from me, hiding his blush. _Damn it, (Y/N)._ Shikamaru thought with a scoff.  
The crowd erupted once again, loud shouts and " _boo"_ 's echoed around the stadium. Shikamaru let out another groan as people above started to throw things down at him, a paper ball smacked against his forehead.  
 _They don't care about this match._ Shikamaru thought with a sigh, _I'm just the warm-up for the main event. All they care about now is watching Sasuke. Listen to them, the jerks._ Shikamaru clicked his tongue as they continued to shout down at him, _well, if that's the way they're going to be, maybe I won't give them a match after all. Why knock my self out for them?_ Shikamaru thought, keeping still on the ground.  
Temari slammed the end of her fan on the ground, anxiously tapping her foot. "What is it?" She called out, looking down at Shikamaru. "You planning on giving up, too?" Temari huffed, Shikamaru slowly moved his head to see her.  
 _And to top it all off,_ Shikamaru thought with a frown, _my opponents a girl, again._

Asuma scratched the top of his head as he lit another cigarette, he looked down at Shikamaru with a sigh. _Well, he never was very driven, but this?_ Asuma thought, crossing his arms.  
"Come on! Come on!" I chanted, Naruto throwing his fists up beside me. We chanted Shikamaru's name over and over. "Get up and fight!" Naruto shouted out, his high pitched voice boomed over the crowd. I cupped my hands around my face as I bent my chest over the railing, " **Get it together, Shikamaru!** " I shouted, my voice echoing around the arena.  
"Ugh..." Shikamaru let out a long sigh, the most he's moved since he got down to the arena. "You gonna get going sometime this year?" I asked, continuing to shout down to him.  
Temari gritted her teeth, "Well!" She shouted, gripping onto her fan. "If you won't move, I will!" She shouted, dashing towards Shikamaru. "Hey!" Genma shouted after her, "I didn't start the match yet!" He called, but she was already on him.  
Temari was a couple feet away, "I forgot." Shikamaru sighed, "This girl's a spunky one." Shikamaru groaned as he dug into his side pocket, pulling out a kunai. "I hate spunky." He groaned, letting out a long sigh. _Spunky like (Y/N), well, I guess it's different._ Shikamaru thought, rubbing his left eye.  
Temari jumped up, shouting as she threw her fan down. As the fan hit, an explosion of dirt rose up from the ground. I sneezed as the wind pushed some of it onto the platform. "Wow!" Naruto exclaimed to my side.  
Temari's eyes widened as she looked down, her fan dug into the ground, but Shikamaru wasn't there. Shikamaru let out an exasperated groan as he stood on his kunai that he dug into the wall, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at Temari. "Huh?" Temari breathed out, surprised.  
"It really doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me whether I ever become a chunin or not," Shikamaru began, leaning back on the wall. "But I guess, maybe I shouldn't let myself get beaten by a girl," Shikamaru said, clicking his tongue. Temari let out a loud growl, her hands tightly clenched around her fan. "So," Shikamaru looked down at her, "Let's do it."  
Temari quickly pulled her fan out of the ground, the metal clicking as it opened up, a large gust of wind battered the wall where Shikamaru stood. It shook the platform above, I held onto the railing tightly.  
"Huh?!" Temari exclaimed as Shikamaru disappeared again, she snapped her head around, he was perched behind a tree, a thick shadow covering half of the arena. Temari squinted her eyes down at him, a small grin came to her face.  
 _He's quick enough when it comes to running away,_ she thought with a scoff. Shikamaru let out a small yawn as he leaned against the tree, looking at her through the leaves. _I know it's not very classy for a guy to clobber a girl,_ Shikamaru thought, scratching the back of his neck, _but whoever said I was classy?_ Shikamaru watched Temari unfold her fan again, _besides, I don't like the way she's been looking at (Y/N). Gives me the creeps._ Shikamaru thought with a sigh, _I guess she's just another one on the list._ Shikamaru looked down at his hand, _another one to get rid of._  
Temari held her fan up, pointing the fan downwards, half of it covering her face. _Nice try,_ she thought with a scoff, _but I know what game this is. He's trying to lure me to the shadow of that tree so I'll get trapped in his jutsu. I'm not falling for that._ Temari squinted her eyes at Shikamaru.  
 _So why do I always have to fight girls? It sucks, man._ Shikamaru sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets.  
"Go for it, Shikamaru!" Ino shouted through the crowd, holding a fist up in the air. "Use your super, awesome technique on her!" Ino kicked the air, "Take that witch down!" Ino giggled,  
"Yo. Is this seat taken?" Ino heard a voice call out next to her, along with a crinkle of a chip bag. Ino turned her head around to see Choji, her eyes widened. "Hm?" Ino raised her brow, Choji popped another chip in his mouth. "I thought you were in the hospital," Ino said, looking at him suspiciously. "Your stomachs okay now?" Ino asked worriedly, "Mhm," Choji mouthed between bites, plopping down on the seat next to her, a duffle bag full of snakes to his side.  
"So, what's up?" Choji asked, "When's (Y/N)'s fight?" He looked over at Ino, looked over at him, "You missed it, idiot." Ino sighed, "And what about that Sasuke guy-" "SHHH!" Ino hissed as she snapped her head around to Sakura, giving her a nervous lap. Sakura kept her head down,  
"O-Oh! I'm sure Sasuke's fine, hehe, yeah!" Ino gulped, trying to cheer Sakura up. "Ha, h-he'll be here any minute now! Ha...ha..." Ino gulped, scratching the back of her neck. _Man, you'd think her puppy died, or something._ Ino sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she looked to Sakura.  
"Hm. Never expected to see Shikamaru in the finals." Choji said through bites, "Weird." Choji said with his mouth full, Ino looked back to him. "What do you mean? Come on! Shikamaru may not have as much fighting spirit as some other people. And, okay, his technique is pretty lousy, but he's strong at strategy!" Ino said, pointing a finger up at the sky. Choji crinkled the empty bag of chips into a ball as he opened the duffle bag back up, digging in for another snack. Ino looked back down at the arena, "So strong, in fact, that without him, we might not have gotten through the preliminary rounds." Ino said with a nod, Choji started to gulp down the crumbs at the bottom of his second back, "Mmm, maybe." Choji nodded, "What's more, you should've seen how he threw himself into the arena!" Ino said, her eyes wide,  
"I'm telling you Choji, he seems unusually aggressive! I think he's going to show us his passionate side today! Yeah! Go Shikamaru!" Ino cheered for him again.

"Ugh..." Shikamaru grumbled as he sat on the ground, looking up at the sky through the trees. _Sometimes I wish I could be a cloud..._ Shikamaru sighed, leaning back. _Just floating along. Going wherever the breeze takes me...that's my style._ Shikamaru thought, spacing out as he cloud gazed. _I'm just not into putting effort into this stuff. The only reason I became a ninja was because of (Y/N) and so I could do whatever. Geez, who knew it would be so much work?_ Shikamaru let another sigh, _maybe I could just run away, take (Y/N) along with me, and not bother to do anything else...wait..._ Shikamaru's gaze floated around the arena until his eyes landed on a hole in the ground.  
"Get your butt in gear!" Naruto shouted, "Let's go, Shikamaru, let's go!" I chanted, clapping my hands. Shikamaru let out a small chuckle, _(Y/N), you might have just saved my skin again._ Shikamaru got up to his feet, looking over at Temari.  
 _Oh, well. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do._ Shikamaru flashed a grin as he looked up at me from the platform, Temari furrowed her brow.  
 _What's he thinking behind that stupid grin?_ She wondered, watching him cautiously. _Is he mocking me?!_ She gritted her teeth, her anger getting the better of her. "Ninja art!" She shouted, throwing her fan up,  
"Wind scythe jutsu!" Temari shouted, her fan cutting through the air, sending large strokes at Shikamaru. Shikamaru jumped at the sudden attack, the trees around him shaking wildly. He held his arms over his face to block the wind, it sliced through some of the tree branches.

Tenten's eyes widened. _I remember,_ Tenten thought, furrowing her brow. _This is how she beat me in our fight. Nothing I threw at her could get past this wind!_ Tenten clenched her fists.

Temari's fan rested by her side as she stared at the large cloud of dirt that was blown into the air. It covered the entire half of the arena. "Huh?!" Temari gasped, her eyes widening as he saw a shadow dart towards her from the dust cloud.  
She gulped, running backwards, away from the shadow chasing her down.  
It got thinner and thinner, stretching as far as it could, rolling across the ground like paint. Temari nearly lost her balance, almost falling back, she caught herself. The shadow jolted, stretching as far as it could, it stopped right at Temari's feet.  
Quickly she jumped back, digging the side of her fan into the ground to mark a line. The shadow jolted back to the trees where Shikamaru was crouched, leaning on the arena's back wall.  
Temari stood behind the line with a hand on her hip, "Now I get it." She called out, Shikamaru gave a long sigh as he tried to catch his breath. The dirt around him dispensed, Temari glared at him angrily.  
"Almost got me." She said, looking him in the eye. "Aren't you clever?" Temari said sarcastically, thrusting her hip out to the side. "With that shadow possession jutsu of yours, you can manipulate any shadow you're in." Temari clicked her tongue, Shikamaru rested his legs. "The wall's shadow, for instance. But there's a limit, isn't there?" Temari raised her brow, a grin crossing her lips as she figured his moves out.  
"No matter how thin you stretch it, it will only reach so far. Isn't that right?" Temari asked, "Heh." Shikamaru chuckled, putting a hand in his pocket. "You got me." He said jokingly, raising the other hand up. Temari crossed her arms, _and now I know just where that limit is._ She thought with a smile as she looked down at the line, _even using the walls shadow, his jutsu can only reach here._ Temari slammed her fan down into the ground, right in the middle of the line.  
 _Fifteen meters, thirty-two centimetres. That's the range of his attack._ Temari thought, glaring at Shikamaru. _If I can just stay outside this line, he can't touch me._ Temari furrowed her brow.

Kankuro rested his chin on his hand as he watched Temari, leaning his chest on the railing. _She's measured his range._ Kankuro thought with a nod, _this plays right to her strength. She's better at long range attacks anyway. Heh. This match is good as over._ Kankuro thought with a grin.

Shikamaru leaned his head back on the wall, taking another look at the sky before he turned back to Temari. Shikamaru turned his palms up, twisting his wrists slightly as he put his fingers together, each touching the tip of their opposite. He gave the same familiar gesture as he closed his eyes, letting his head drop down slightly as he thought. Temari's eyes widened as she watched him.  
"Hm." Asuma's eyes widened, "What's that?" Kurenai wondered as she squinted her eyes down at Shikamaru. "A hand sign?" She thought aloud, Asuma shook his head with a grin. "No," He said, Kurenai looked over at him. "He's not making a hand sign. It's something more of a habit." Asuma said, playing with the cigarette between his lips, "A habit?" Kurenai repeated. "That kid, he's like an old man. He likes to take things slowly. Heh," Asuma chuckled, " _Really_ slowly. That's why he's so good at games like Shogi. He's always challenging me to a match. Whenever he gets stuck on a move, he does that thing with his hands." Asuma explained, Kurenai raised her brow. "What does it mean?" She asked curiously,  
"He's working on a strategy. Of all the times we've played, I've never beaten him." Asuma said, leaning back in his seat. "Well, that's fine, but this is a real fight. Not some game of shogi." Kurenai said, shaking her head,  
"Strategy on the game board is no different from strategy on the field of battle, and all great generals know that." Asuma said with a nod, "Shikamaru has got the mind of a great general, just you watch." Asuma said with a grin, "You could've fooled me." Kurenai scoffed, "Don't forget, I saw the test scores when we grouped the genin. His were no better than Naruto's, maybe worse." Kurenai said, crossing her arms. "He says the act of putting pencil to paper is a drag." Asuma chuckled, "It's too much work for him. He'd rather take a nap than a written exam." Asuma nodded, "He would, huh." Kurenai chuckled back.  
"I didn't say that he was lazy. But he was so good at strategy games, I had him take an IQ test. Of course, I had to deceive him into thinking it was just another game." Asuma said, lighting another cig. "Well? What happened?" Kurenai asked, Asuma blew out the smoke through his nose. "Hm. As I suspected, his score was almost off the charts, beyond genius. The kid has an IQ over two hundred." "T-Tow hundred?" Kurenai's eyes widened,

Shikamaru opened his eyes, Asuma shifted in his seat. _He's done thinking. Now it begins.  
"_So you have some fighting spirit after all," Temari called out, a grin on her face as she unfolded her fan as she watched Shikamaru pull out a kunai. She lifted her fan up, throwing about a gust of wind towards him with a yell. Shikamaru put his arm up to block his face. He quickly moved deeper into the brush.  
Temari lost her grin. "No use in hiding!" She shouted over the howling wind, Shikamaru hid behind the tree, quickly taking his jacket off.  
Kurenai tilted her head, "Are you sure he's even got a strategy?" Kurenai asked, putting her hands on her hips, Asuma gulped. "I hope so."  
Choji had gone through five chip bags already, they piled up on the ground below him as he sunk into his sixth, he hummed happily with the taste. "Look at that!" Ino exclaimed, "He can't get anywhere near her!" Ino clenched her fists, "Go Shikamaru! Do something!" She shouted out to him again, "Don't waste your breath." Choji said between mouth fulls, "He'll give up soon." Choji said with a shrug, "This is way too much work for him." "What are you talking about?!" Ino spat, "No way he's going to give up...at least...I don't think he's going to give up..." Ino sighed, Choji licked the crumbs off of his lips.

Shikamaru was out of breath as he leaned against the tree, he held his jacket and kunai in the same hand. Leaves still fell from the tree, landing on the grass around him.  
Choji was now on his seventh bag of chips, this time barbecue flavoured. The stands were silent, except for the small echo of Choji's munching.  
"You can't hide forever!" Temari shouted to the trees, out of breath like him. "Come out, coward!" She shouted, heaving her fan up into the air once more. Another gust of wind slamming into the trees.  
A kunai came flying out towards her, aiming straight for her forehead. Temari quickly pulled her fan up, the metal clinked as she quickly moved to the side. Another kunai came flying down, she bent down to dodge. Her eyes widening as she saw another shadow come closer. "Heh." She smirked, _forget it. As long as I stay on this side of the line, he can't touch me._ Temari thought with a grin, closing her fan as she saw the shadow coming closer.  
"Wait..." She whispered. _It's still coming!_ She quickly leapt back as the shadow crossed her line, the shadow centimetres from her toe. Temari was out of breath as she watched it retract, sweat beading down her forehead.  
Temari gritted her teeth as she looked back at him, he stood in front of the tree, his hands in his pockets. "You're pretty quick on your toes," Shikamaru said with a small nod, "Now I see what you've been up too." She said, placing her hands back on her hips. "You weren't just hiding, you were killing time!" She shouted, pointing an accusing finger towards him.  
"Waiting for the sun to get lower, and the shadow of that wall to get longer." Temari scoffed, Shikamaru grinned as he stood there in his undershirt.  
"The longer the shadows, the farther your range is, right?"  
"Damn! He almost got her!" Ino shouted, slamming her fists down on her thighs. Now Choji was on his ninth bag. "How is Shikamaru gonna use his shadow anyway?" Choji wondered, crumbs rolling down his shirt. "I mean, what's he gonna do? He's in the shadow of the arena already." Choji shrugged, Ino shot daggers at him.  
"Unbelievable! You really don't know anything about Shikamaru's capabilities, do you? He can use anything! He can even make shadows within shadows!" Ino said, desperately trying to defend him. Choji paused, a chip in front of his mouth. "Shadows within shadows?" Choji repeated,

The shadow he stretched lingered in front of Temari, she stared down at it in thought. _If I just calculate the height of the sun and measuring the distance he's gained from his previous attack, I can still keep out of range._ She thought, slowly blinking. _No problem._ She nodded to herself.  
"Hmph." She grinned up at him once again,  
" **Temari! Over your head!** " Kankuro shouted, Temari snapped her head up.  
Shikamaru's jacket slowly came floating down, it's arms tied with a kunai, Temari's eyes widened as she saw it's shadow rise in front of her, Shikamaru's shadow used the jackets to grow again.  
Temari quickly jumped away, the shadow chasing her to the left. Shikamaru held his sign,  
"I've got you now!" He called out, pushing the shadow further, Temari gritted her teeth. _He made a parachute out of his jacket to create an extra shadow!_ She thought angrily as she dodged the shadow, Shikamaru's eyes followed her around the arena. _Clever move. Now I not only have to worry about the shadows on the ground, but I also have to keep an eye on this thing above my head, and it extends his range indefinitely! Huh, guess I've been underestimating this slacker clown. His shadow possession jutsu is a lot more dangerous than I thought._  
She quickly moved between the two craters, standing in the middle of them. The jacket and kunai fell to the ground with a small clank, the shadow began to retract again.  
Temari unfolded her fan as she rose, the three purple circles shinned in the sun. "Heh." She flashed the same grin, Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "She learns fast, I'll give her that." Shikamaru said to himself.

"Good but not good enough." Kurenai said with a sigh. Asuma let out a groan, "She thinks in the same way he does. She's a strategist too."

Temari looked back up to the sky, the sun slowly going down behind the arena's wall. She looked back to Shikamaru. _The longer this match takes, the lower the sun gets. The longer the shadows, the farther his range._ Temari thought, closing her eyes as she put her fan in front of her.  
 _It's time to finish this._ She thought with her fists clenched.  
 _If I create a diversion with the clone jutsu, and make him think that I jumped out into his reach, he'll catch the clone and I can jump on him from above._ Temari nodded to herself, _yeah, that'll work._ She grinned behind the fan as she watched Shikamaru's shadow retreat.  
 _Now!_ She commanded herself, clasping her hands together in a quick few signs. _Clone jutsu-_  
"What?!" Temari screamed out as she stood, her hands clasped together in a seal, her body frozen solid. _My body! I-It's frozen!_  
"It took a while," Shikamaru began, a grin flashed on his face. "But my shadow possession finally worked." "No!" Temari shouted,  
Ino gasped, Choji was now on his twentieth bag, eating like there was no tomorrow. "How the hell did he do that?!" Kankuro seethed, "Ha. Isn't it obvious?" I said, crossing my arms. "Look at the field, idiot. Don't you see something wrong with it?" I huffed as I turned to Kankuro, he gritted his teeth. "Oh, well, if it's that obvious, Ms Know-it-all, why don't you tell us?" Kankuro spat back at me, I stared him down. "Sorry that I can see a HUGE hole in the MIDDLE of the field, dirtbag!" I shouted back to him, my fists clenched. "You little-!" "Quiet," Gaara said sharply, his gaze turned to Kankuro. Kankuro froze solid, as if he'd been stopped by the shadow possession jutsu himself.  
"Amazing." Kurenai gasped, "He was thinking three moves ahead all along!" Her eyes were wide open, Asuma grinned. "As I said, that's Shikamaru's strength."

 _I-Impossible!_ Temari thought as she ground her teeth, _how could he have caught me in his shadow?! It couldn't reach this far!_ Temari couldn't wrap her head around it, Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Look behind you," He said with a sigh, "I'll let you." He said, turning his head, she mirrored him.  
 _O-Out of the hole?! How?!_ Temari's eyes were wide,  
"Don't you recognize that hole? It's where (Y/N) popped out of the ground and knocked Neji for a loop. The hole in front of you is where they went into the ground, the two are connected." Shikamaru explained simply,  
"Now I see." Temari said through gritted teeth. "I never thought of the shadows underground," She said, cursing herself. "That was your mistake," Shikamaru said with a shrug,  
"Heh." Asuma chuckled, leaning forward in his seat. "As I said, he's always thinking ahead." Asuma grinned, _first he got her to retreat behind the line she thinks is the limit of his shadow attack. Then just when she's starting to feel safe, he surprised her by extending his range, forcing her to fall back again. All the time making her think it's her idea, when actually he's manoeuvring her closer and closer to that hole behind her. And then, she's caught. He had that idea the first time he saw that hole, didn't he? He just wasn't sure how to execute it at first.  
But he got his answer quickly, heh. Now, that's how you play the game. _

_I-I don't believe it!_ Temari was in shock, _the whole time I thought I was keeping out of range of his jutsu, when I really was walking right into it. Amazing. This slacker outsmarted me, god, does it make me angry._  
"The next move his checkmate," Asuma said with a grin.  
Shikamaru walked out from the shadows, his hands back in his pockets. Temari followed, her hands awkwardly put by the sides of her dress as she walked towards the middle. The two of them facing each other.  
 _He's got control of my body._ Temari angrily thought, she started daggers into Shikamaru as they got closer. _I'm helpless._ She thought as they both stopped, about five feet apart.  
"Yeah! He did it!" I shouted, thrusting my fist into the air, Kankuro was shaking with anger.  
"You got her! Way to go!" Ino shouted along with me, a row across. Choji finished number thirty with a proud chomp, Asuma grinned down at Shikamaru. "Checkmate." He mouthed.

Shikamaru rose his hand, Temari followed, her body shaking as she struggled to get control back over her body.

"The hell with it. **I give up.** " Shikamaru called out, "Huh?!" Temari gasped out, "Huh?!" Naruto repeated, my mouth was gaping open.  
The crowd went wild, people shouting things down at Shikamaru, the silence breaking.  
"Hmm. See. Told you he'd give up." Choji said with a nod and a small burp, "Looks like I know Shikamaru a little better than you do, huh?" Choji said with a grin, opening up his thirty first bag.  
"W-What?" Temari was in disbelief. "What did you say?" Temari spat out, Genma scratched the back of his head.

"I used all my chakra on that shadow possession jutsu. I'm good for about another ten seconds, and that's it. Bummer, and here I'd already planned out the next moves in my head." Shikamaru said with a small sigh, "But my chakra's running low." Shikamaru put his hand back down, Temari did as well. Shikamaru shrugged, "Anyway, if I was doing this thing, it would just mean more work. Take that as a warning." Shikamaru's voice turned sharp,  
"If this battle were to happen again, you wouldn't be left standing. So, I'd suggest," Shikamaru paused, looking Temari in the eye. "I'd suggest stop talking to (Y/N) unless you want something you can't handle. Got it?" Shikamaru hissed his last word before he turned around,  
Genma flashed him a grin. _This kid is something else._ Genma thought, clearing his throat.

"The winner is... **Temari.** " Genma's voice echoed around the arena, Temari shaking with anger, and Shikamaru stand with a grin.

 _To be continued..._


	64. Dancing Leaf, Squirming Sand

"Ugh...man I'm beat." Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his shoulder. Temari watched him silently, her eyes wide as the shadow retracted, Shikamaru let out a loud yawn.  
Ino let out a shrill scream, "What a waste!" She shouted, her fists flying in the air. She instantly turned to Choji, gripping onto him by his scarf, she started to shake him. "Why?! What is he thinking?! Doesn't he want to be a chunin?!" Ino shouted, pushing Choji to the side, Choji let out a loud laugh. "What can you say?" Choji shrugged, "It's Shikamaru."  
Kurenai let out a sigh. "I wonder," She began, Asuma looked over at her. "Do you think he has the motivation for this?" She asked, "I've wondered the same thing myself, countless times." Asuma said with a nod, Kurenai looked down at Shikamaru. _Even so,_ she thought, _his tactics and ingenuity are far beyond those of your typical genin.  
If that had been a real mission and he'd been leading a squad, they would have succeeded. The battle was one the moment Temari was caught in his shadow possession jutsu. I guess you could say he won the battle, but lost the match. _Kurenai thought silently, _That boy's lack of drive can sure be frustrating._ Asuma thought, crossing his arms. _Still, there's something to be said for not having a killer instinct. He never lets his emotions cloud his judgement. He never panics._ Asuma tapped his chin, _he's able to calmly assess his tactical situation and determine the wisest course of action. He even has the wisdom to retreat if his position is untenable._ Asuma grinned down at Shikamaru, _he has something a lot of the others lack, clarity. That's a vital trait in a chunin and in a leader._

"Heh." Izumo smiled, "He may not be as motivated as some of the others," Izumo began, leaning back in his seat. "But, you know, it's not such a bad thing for a squad leader to trust his head more than his gut. He'll get in a lot of less trouble that way." Izumo crossed his arms, "You said it." Kotetsu agreed, putting his arms in the back of his head. "A squad with a hot shot for a leader is a squad that's not going to survive very long. Some of these kids don't understand there's not much point in completing a mission if your whole team gets wiped out. That's not what being a chunin is about." Kotetsu said with a sigh, Izumo looked over at him. "If you're scoring them off of that, (Y/N) and Neji failed the test." Izumo said, raising his brow. "Not that they don't have some insane talent for genin," Izumo shrugged, "But still, I can't help but feel that Shikamaru gave up too soon." Izumo said, looking back to Kotetsu.  
"What do you think?" He asked, "Well, one thing I'm sure of, he's got a lot better chance than that (Y/N) kid." Kotetsu said with a sigh, Izumo chuckled. "Hell, Shikamaru has a better chance of even _surviving_ than (Y/N)."

"What the heck was that?!" Naruto shouted, I turned my head over to him, "Forfeiting the match when he had already won! Geez!" Naruto slammed his fists down at the railing, I gave an irritated growl. "That really ticks me off." I said with a scoff, "That lazy son-of-a!" Naruto shouted, jumping up on the railing. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" Naruto shouted, jumping down into the arena. I quickly followed him. Shino watched, shaking his head with a sigh.

"Hmph. And to think that lazy kid's gonna be a chunin." Kotetsu sighed.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger towards to Shikamaru. Shikamaru was stretching, "I want to talk to you, you idiot!" Naruto screamed, "Who are you calling _idiot_ , idiot." Shikamaru answered back, I stood next to Naruto with my hands on my hips. "Why'd you give up?! Are you really that lazy?!" Naruto blew a fuse, "Or are you just a big chicken?!"  
"Hey, it's over." Shikamaru said with a groan, "Let's just forget about it, okay?" Shikamaru said with a sigh, Naruto went off. "You had that match won!" "Would you skip it?" "And I wanna know why!" "Are you forgetting?" "Oh my god!" "There's another match." "I mean, who does that?! To quit right when..." Naruto paused, "Huh? Another match?" Naruto tilted his head. "Yes, you idiot." I said, shaking my head. "You forgot about Sasuke already?" I mumbled, "Oh yeah, that's right." Naruto said aloud as he nodded.

"Finally!" A guy called out, Ino turned her head to the top of the stands, the crowd was buzzing. People shouting things to each other, trying to hear over other people.  
"This is the one we've been waiting for," A guy said to his friend, shaking his arm. "The Uchiha's next!" He exclaimed, his friend shrugged. "Yeah, but who's this Gaara guy he's up against?" His friend questioned, "Don't know, he's a mystery! But he doesn't stand a chance against this Uchiha kid!" "Don't get too excited. I heard that Sasuke Uchiha had to pull out of the match." He said with a sigh, "What?! No way!" The friend exclaimed, "They say he's still injured from some accident that happened during training." He said with a nod, his arms crossed. "That's perfect!" His friend spat sarcastically, "So you're telling me that I came _allll_ this way and missed _two days_ of work for nothing?!" His friend shouted, his fists clenched. "What, you forgot about the (L/N)?" He said, his friend shook his head. "You know that stuff freaks me out," His friend said with a shiver.  
"Come on, Uchiha! Let's go!" The shout echoed around the arena.

"Well," Tokugawa, a feudal lord from the village hidden in the grass began. Shimazu sat at his side, another lord but from the rain. "It seems fairly clear that the Uchiha is bound to win." Tokugawa said with a small nod, looking down at Sasuke's info card. Shimazu shook his head, "I don't know. I like the look of this stranger from the sound village." Shimazu said, tapping his chin. "I'm putting my money on the mystery man." Shimazu said with a grin, Tokugawa heaved a heavy laugh. "That's the thing about this level of competition," Tokugawa said, crossing his arms. "The only thing you know for sure is that you never know what will happen." Tokugawa said, Shimazu nodded silently, turning to the man next to him. Tokugawa's eyes drifted back to the stands, two of his ninja from the grass looked back. They gave him each a nod. Tokugawa grinned down at himself.  
-

"Lord Hokage," Raido began, bending down to him again. Sarutobi let out a small sigh, "I'm afraid there's still no sign of Sasuke Uchiha." Raido said with a frown, "He hasn't arrived at the arena." Raido explained, Sarutobi nodded. "Right. Then, we have no choice." Sarutobi said, looking down. "We'll just have to proceed. We've kept these good people waiting long enough." "Ten more minutes." Rasa called out, Sarutobi turned his head around to him, Raido looked at him in shock.  
"Surely, we can give him another ten minutes." Rasa said calmly. "My lord?" Raido looked back down at Sarutobi.  
"This is what the crowd's been waiting for. They've got a taste of the Daigan, and now they're crazing for the Sharingan. It would be a cruel blow to cancel. They might even turn ugly." Rasa's words were calm, yet threatening. "After waiting this long, surely another ten minutes won't hurt." Rasa said, slowly shaking his head. Raido bent back down to Sarutobi, "Lord Hokage?" Raido asked, waiting for his word. Sarutobi looked over to the stands.  
It was almost too loud for him to hear his own thoughts. Sarutobi let out another sigh, picking up his pipe, he placed it between his lips. "There's something in what lord Kazekage says, I must admit." Sarutobi paused, breathing out a small breath of smoke, an ember sparked from the pipe. "Very well then." Sarutobi said, turning to Rasa.  
"We will give Sasuke another ten minutes to appear before cancelling the match." Sarutobi said with a nod, his stare lingering on Rasa. "Go." Sarutobi said sharply to Raido, his sight not leaving Rasa. "Tell Genma my decision."  
"Right." Raido nodded, leaving the platform with a small cloud of smoke.  
-

 _Looks like Sasuke's out of luck. Too bad. It would've been a great match._ Genma thought, moving his stick up and down. He watched as I rose a fist, proudly stating how much I wanted to punch Sasuke for being late. Genma gave a small grin as he watched me jump around, Naruto at my side, Shikamaru shook his head.  
Raido quickly appeared at Genma side, "Lord Hokage wants to wait ten more minutes." Raido quickly said, Genma's eyes widened as Raido disappeared. _I see, a ten-minute reprieve, huh._ Genma dug a hand into his pocket, pulling out a small round metallic watch, he looked down at it, setting a timer for ten minutes. The watch gave a small beep as it was set.  
-

"Huh?" Tsuzumi's eyes widened as he saw two figures in the distance, another jonin stationed with him to guard the entrance of the arena. Tsuzumi pointed toward the two figures, "Hey! Is that who I think it is?" Tsuzumi called out, his partner took a few steps closer, squinting his eyes.  
The wooden crutch clicked each time it struck the ground, leaving small indents on the dirt road.  
"Yeah." His partner nodded, "It's him alright." He said, welcoming them with a smile.  
-

"Gnnnn!" I growled, my fists tightly clenched. "I swear if he doesn't show, I'll kill him! I swear I'll kill him!" I shouted, "You and me both!" Naruto nodded, as fed up as I am.  
Sakura clasped her hands together. _Come on, Sasuke._ She thought, her eyes tightly closed. _Come on.  
-_

"Welcome!" Tsuzumi said cheerfully, "Glad you both could make it." He flashed a smile.  
"Roger!" Lee shouted out, holding tightly onto his crutch, Guy standing proudly by his side. "Hmph!" Guy made a loud grunt, striking one of his numerous poses.  
"Well, Lee, ready to go?" "Yes, sir!" Lee nodded back,  
"You two missed the first round." Tsuzumi began, Lee let out a loud gasp. "The only match left is between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of the Sand." Tsuzumi explained, "But!" Lee shouted, "What happened with (Y/N) and Neji?" Lee asked, his eyes wide open.  
"Well, that was the most amazing thing." Tsuzumi nodded with a smile, "The Hyuga kid got beat!"  
Lee's mouth was wide open, Guy's face matching his. _(Y/N) beat Neji?_ Lee thought with a grin, "That is something." Lee nodded, Lee looked up at the sky.  
 _Well done, (Y/N)! I had no doubt that you would win!  
-_

Temari quickly jumped over the railing, landing on the platform above. Kankuro snapped his head over to her, she put a hand on her hip. "Temari," Kankuro called out to her, "What's going on?" He asked, she walked closer to him.  
"What's up? Is he really not going to show?" Kankuro asked, his hands tightly gripped onto the railing. Temari sighed.  
"He'll be here." Gaara said slowly, both Temari and Kankuro turned to him.  
"He'll definitely be here."

"Man," Shikamaru said, putting his hands in his pockets. "This crowd'll tear him apart if he doesn't show," Shikamaru said, listening to the shouts and screams above. "And if they don't, I will!" I clenched my fists.  
-

"Where the hell is Uchiha?!" Tokugawa seethed, "How long does he expect us to wait?" Tokugawa said angrily, crumpling up Sasuke's info card in his fist. Shimazu let out a small chuckle, hiding his face under his fan. " _Perhaps_ his injuries really were serious." Shimazu suggested, a sly grin on his lips. " _Perhaps_ he's lost his nerve." Shimazu turned to Tokugawa,  
"It doesn't matter to me. If he forfeits, I still win my bet. Ha." Shimazu laughed again, Tokugawa gritted his teeth. _I already lost a bet against that (L/N) brat, I can't afford to lose anymore._ Tokugawa thought angrily, desperately looking down at the arena.  
-

Genma looked back down at his watch, the seconds ticking away. _Thirty seconds._ Genma thought, watching. The crowd started to boo, their aggravated voices echoing. I stomped my foot into the ground.  
"What's he thinking?" I wondered aloud, my fists by my sides. "I bet he's planning some big entrance, or something." Naruto scoffed, his hands on his hips. "Well, I'm not impressed!" I shouted out, tapping my foot on the ground.  
Genma grinned, five seconds left on the watch. _Time's up._ He thought, calling it short. _So that's that._  
"The time limit has expired." Genma announced, _four seconds left_.  
"So I'm officially calling this match-" _Two seconds left._

A gust of wind stopped Genma in his tracks. He grinned, clicking the watch to a stop.  
"You!" I growled, visibly shaking with anger.

"I told you he would come." Gaara said, looking down at the arena. Temari's mouth was wide open, Kankuro leaned his chest over the railing.

"Sorry, we're late." Kakashi apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "You wouldn't believe the traffic."  
Sakura's eyes sparkled as she breathed a sigh of relief. _Sasuke._ She thought with a smile, _you're alright._  
"And you are?" Genma asked, slipping the watch back into his pocket.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke looked up at Genma, a bored expression on his face.

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped out, her hands clasped together. "So he made it in time." "Lee!" Ino said in surprise, Sakura snapped her head around to him.  
The crowd went wild. Men, women, children, it seemed everyone in the village and other lands were there. The loudness of everyone's screams, shouts, and cheers could be heard for miles.  
Shikamaru scoffed, putting his hands back in his pockets. _Damn, what a showoff._ Shikamaru thought, glaring Sasuke down. _Making us all wait around like he's the ruler of the universe._ Shikamaru wore a sour frown on his face.  
"So you decided to show after all!" Naruto shouted towards Sasuke, "I was betting you wouldn't come cause sooner or later you'd have to face me!" Naruto grinned, pointing his thumb towards his chest. Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he heard Naruto, _Naruto was just saying how he was sure Sasuke wouldn't come._ Shikamaru thought, turning his head away from him. Sasuke ignored both of them.  
He turned to me. "So how about you?" Sasuke asked, looking me in the eye. "Did you win?" He asked, I put my hands on my hips. "Of course I did." I said with a huff, Sasuke gave a small smile.  
"You're still not off the hook!" I shouted, pointing a finger to his chest, Sasuke raised his brow. "You idiot! What, were you planning with stupid stunt?!" I growled, Sasuke gave me a confused look. "Was it your plan to have this _big_ entrance and surprise everyone? Only with seconds to spare?" I stomped my foot on the ground, Sasuke rose his hands defensively.  
Kakashi turned to Genma, "Uh..." Kakashi cleared his throat, "Sorry to keep everyone waiting, but, um, how late were we?" Kakashi asked, "I mean, it's not like Sasuke is, well, disqualified or anything, right?" Kakashi asked, giving a nervous chuckle.  
"Like master, like pupil. Even down to your lousy sense of time." Genma said, shaking his head. "Well, what about it?" Kakashi asked, Genma sighed. "You know, you were so late that we extended your deadline for you, twice in fact." Genma said, shaking his head. "And it's lucky for you that we did, because you just made it. No, he's not disqualified."  
"Oh! That's a relief." Kakashi gave a sigh of relief, "You had me worried there for a minute. So, we're okay-hm?" Kakashi looked over at Sasuke, his head was turned to the stand as I continued to shout at him.  
Gaara and Sasuke's eyes were locked together. I put my hands on my hips. "Sasuke!" I called out name again, Sasuke and Gaara kept their eyes locked on each other. "Just make sure you don't lose to this guy."  
"Got it."  
"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, Sasuke turned his head over to him. "Don't lose, cause I want to fight you myself!" Naruto said, Sasuke gave a small nod. "Go it." Sasuke said again, Naruto flashed him a grin.

"Woo-hoo! Sasuke!" Ino screamed, standing up on her seat as she cheered. Choji leaned back in his seat, shaking his head. _Heh, a minute ago she was cheering just as hard for Shikamaru._ Choji thought, crossing his arms. _Geez, women are fickle._

 _So. I'm yesterday's news already._ Shikamaru thought, looking up at the crowd. _Well, I can't say I blame them._ Shikamaru looked over at Sasuke, _I'm looking forward to this one myself._

 _"_ Sakura," Ino began, sitting back down on her seat. "What's it like to be a part of such an amazing team?" Ino asked dreamily, Sakura raised her brow. "What do you mean?" She asked, turning to Ino. "You know! First, (Y/N) surprised everyone by beating Neji Hyuga!" Ino called out, Lee looked over at them. "Oh, and then you've got Sasuke, who's like a superstar! Everyone wants to see his match! After that, people are even starting to get excited about Naruto's match! You're like the all-star team!" Ino exclaimed, waving her hands around excitedly. Lee turned his head down, his eyes staring at the stands concrete steps.  
 _Sasuke is fighting that sand ninja Gaara,_ Lee thought, a sharp shadow stretching across his face. _Whom I was powerless against, and (Y/N) won against Neji, whom I had always wanted to defeat._ Lee's grasp around his crutch lightened, his arm starting to shake with the pressure. _And all I get to do..._ Lee's bandaged arm shook violently, red staining his fist as the crutch creaked with the pressure of Lee's fist, blood starting to drip from his hand. _All I get to do is stand here and watch._ A small puddle formed on the floor, by his foot. _It is so frustrating._ Lee thought, his brow furrowed as he fought back tears, Guy stood behind him quietly. _Lee..._ Guy thought, looking down at him.  
-

 _At last._ Rasa thought to himself as he stared down at Sasuke, a sinister grin on his lips. Sarutobi's attention was down on the arena, Rasa took the few moments of freedom from his stare to change his position. Carefully watching each movement he took.  
-

Gaara stared down at Sasuke, a low chuckle rumbled from Gaara's chest. Temari and Kankuro watched him, fear in their eyes. Sasuke watched Gaara, Sasuke's left eye twitched as he saw him, his fists angrily clenched.  
I stood in front of Kakashi, exploding at him. "Where in the world were you?!" I began my tantrum with the same question that burned in my mind the entire month. "Do you know how much you worried Sakura? How much you worried _me_?! You didn't tell us anything! Just disappearing like that!" I growled angrily, Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...um, uh..." Kakashi was at a loss of words.  
"All right, Gaara, come down here." Genma called for him to come, Shikamaru turned to Naruto. "Come on, Naruto." Shikamaru said, starting to walk away. "They don't need us here." Shikamaru put his hands on his hips, Naruto's head turned back to Shikamaru. "Oh, uh." Naruto paused, looking at Sasuke again. "Let's go." Shikamaru said, starting to get annoyed. "And I'm going to take the stairs this time," Shikamaru scoffed, Naruto chuckled.  
"Ha! You're still annoyed by (Y/N)'s push? Ha, that was hilarious!" Naruto laughed, chasing after him.

Gaara's breath became heavy, he hands started to twitch down by his sides. Sweat collected on Temari's forehead, _this isn't good!_ She thought, her eyes wide as she watched Gaara. _He's got that look again,_ Temari gulped, Kankuro turned to him. "Okay, listen, Gaara-!" Temari slapped a hand over Kankuro's mouth, not keeping her eye off of Gaara for a second. Kankuro jumped at the sudden slap, Temari held her hand over his mouth.  
Gaara turned away from the railing, walking towards the platforms staircase, trembling with anticipation. Temari watched him leave, until she couldn't see him anymore.  
"Now's not the time to talk to him," Temari warned Kankuro, "Not unless you want to get yourself killed." Temari whispered, removing her hand from over Kankuro's mouth.  
-

Tokugawa nodded to his men in the corner.  
"Come on, let's go." The grass ninja said to his partner, "Right." The other said, quickly following him up the staircase.  
-

"Will ya hurry up? Come on!" Naruto shouted down at Shikamaru, running up the stairs. "Relax, Naruto." Shikamaru breathed a heavy sigh, "You're gonna give yourself an ulcer." Shikamaru grumbled, "Huh?" Naruto paused near the top of the stair case, only a few steps left. He turned around, frozen like a deer caught in headlights.  
"What is it?" Shikamaru asked, stopping on the same step. He turned around, looking down the dimly lit hall.  
Gaara was stopped in the middle of the hall. The two grass ninja in front of him, blocking his way. One held a hand on his hip, the other had his fists clenched as he glared down at Gaara. Naruto and Shikamaru watched, silent, from the staircase.  
"You puny kids think this tournament is about you," The grass ninja began, glaring down at Gaara. Gaara gave him a plain look, his arms crossed. "It's really about the people who bet on you, or _against_ you, in your case." The grass ninja clicked his tongue, "You see, our master's got a lot of money on you, and after that stupid (L/N) kid one, he's riding on this bet to get his money back." The grass ninja spat out the name, Gaara's calm expression dropped as he heard _(L/N)_ roll off of the grass ninja's tongue. Anger buzzed in Gaara's turquoise eyes.  
"Got it?" The other ninja raised his brow, "That means you've gotta lose." He said, putting his hands in his pockets. Gaara kept his head down, the cork on his gourd slowly twisting, the squeaking echoing in the hall.  
"Well, so what's it gonna be, kid?" The grass ninja hissed, "Maybe's he's too scared to talk." His partner said, the gourd started to shake, a small grin came to Gaara's face as he stared up at them with bloodshot eyes.  
The grass ninja slowly pulled a kunai from his sleeve, the blade glistened.  
The cork flew off of the gourd, golden sand rushing out of the top like a waterfall, bouncing off of the hallway's walls.  
"Huh?!" Both of the ninjas exclaimed, the lights above burst, shards of glass clattering down on the floor. Destroying the small amount of light they had left. Gaara's heavy breaths echoed, the sand rushing towards them like waves.  
One of the grass ninja screamed as a wall of sand knocked him down, the other jumped back, the kunai dropped to the floor with a metallic pang.  
His blood-curdling screams echoed as the sand flung him around, tossing him like a doll. His limp, torn and bloodied body slamming against the walls as the sand started to devour him. His bones crunching as the sand crushed him, his skin tearing like paper, blood stained the once golden sand to a dark red.  
The other ninja ran, having no time to think after witnessing his friend's gruesome death. He dashed towards the opening of the hallway, the sand chasing after him. But he wasn't fast enough.  
The sand wrapped around his leg like a tentacle, pulling his back. He landed flat on his chest, his nails desperately scratching the floor to get away, "Please!" He cried out as he caught a glimpse of Naruto's hair, his nails tearing off from his fingers, stuck and jagged into the ground. Bloodied hand prints chased back into the hallway, "No! No! No!" He cried out once more, tears streaming down his face as the sand crept up his body, crushing everything it touched.  
It was too late for him as he soon met the fate of his friend.  
Silence quickly followed the last man's screams. Only faint footsteps echoed the hall as Gaara continued, his face plain and dull, just like it was before. Not a single drop of blood was left, the sand drank it like wine, craving the sweet taste. Naruto and Shikamaru were frozen to the stair, sweat-drenched as Gaara came closer, standing at the top of the staircase.  
Gaara walked down the stairs quietly, passing in between Shikamaru and Naruto without a second glance. Their eyes followed him down the staircase until they couldn't see him anymore.  
They both fell back, quickly regaining the breath they held, laying flat against the stairs.  
-

"And not even checking out of the hospital correctly! Not even telling the village that you would be leaving! Do you know what people thought?! What people assumed?! They thought that _you_ ," I pointed over at Sasuke, _"_ That you had gone and run off to- _to you know who_!" I continued to go off on Sasuke and Kakashi, flailing my hands angrily in the air. Sasuke hung his head down, his arms behind his back as he listened. Kakashi, a loss for words, as I shouted everything at them. Some people in the crowd started to laugh, others watching with grins on their face as I lectured them like a parent whose children came home after their curfew.  
"I cannot believe how irresponsible the two of you had been! And _you_ especially," I then pointed to Kakashi, _"_ How can you be a jonin and be late to everything?! You're supposed to keep track of things, notice your surroundings, and you can't even show up on time?! How do you even-"  
I felt a hand quickly grab onto my arm, Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes moved at once, I nearly shouted out as I felt the jolt, my back slamming into someone, their grip tightening as they held me in place. Then I felt something warm.  
Something wet dragged up the side of my neck up to my cheek. Before I could even comprehend what had happened, Sasuke charged towards me, his Sharingan already activated, a loud shout as he ran.  
Genma quickly jumped on him, holding him back. "I haven't called the match yet!" Rung in my ears. I looked down, the pink muscle, the _tongue_ sliding up my skin.  
I screamed as I swung my fist around, to my surprise, it hit a mound of sand, as tall as a person. _Sand_?! I thought, my brow furrowed, I snapped my head around to see Gaara glaring at me, licking his lips.  
"What the f-" I was about to shout out, but Kakashi already was on me, his arm wrapped around my chest as he pulled me up, quickly jumping out of the arena. I was too shocked to say anything more, a look of pure confusion on my face.

 _To be continued..._


	65. Bushy Brows Jutsu, Sasuke Style

"I-If...if we had come up the stairs a second earlier, that could have been us just now," Shikamaru said, still trying to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead onto his arm. "Never in my life had I seen someone kill like that..." Shikamaru shook his head, "Without even batting an eye..." Shikamaru turned to Naruto, "Things don't look too good for your friend at all..." "Where's...where's (Y/N)?"

Naruto asked, his voice breaking. Naruto and Shikamaru looked each other in the face, fear struck both of their faces.  
-

Genma pushed Sasuke to the side. Gaara facing him as Genma stood between them. Genma took a small step back, Sasuke couldn't stand being still, his body shook with anger as he glared at Gaara. Genma cleared his throat as he watched the bloodthirsty glares of Gaara, and the furious stare of Sasuke. The crowd was silent, still taken back by the sudden entrance of Gaara.  
"All right, the rules for this match are the same as in the preliminaries." Genma said, his hand on his hip as he looked at them. Sasuke couldn't stop twitching. "The match continues until one of you dies or admits defeat." Gaara's nose twitched as he heard the word _die_. "However," Genma paused, looking both of them in the face. "I can stop the match, but that's solely _my_ decision." Genma explained slowly, each second ticking by made Sasuke more anxious. He wanted nothing more to punch to grin off of Gaara's face.  
Gaara gave a low chuckle, his eyes not leaving Sasuke's as he laughed. A malicious grin on his lips.  
-

Kakashi bent down to me, the two of us alone in the stadium's bathroom. The only sound echoing around the blank tile walls was the running sink. I scrubbed the side of my face with a wad of paper towels that I soaked in the sink, and a heavy amount of soap. I shivered thinking about _it_.  
Kakashi put his hand on my shoulder, I jumped at the sudden touch, my eyes darting back to him. "What is it?" I said quickly, goosebumps rose on my skin. "Here." Kakashi said, a cloth in his hand, I raised my brow at it. "Where'd you get that?" I asked, Kakashi kept silent as he moved closer, I felt a little awkward with him pressed so close to me. He held the cloth out, I reached to grab it, but to my surprise, he avoided my open hand.  
He placed the cloth first at the bottom of my neck, where Gaara started. "Hey, I can do it." I said, looking down as his hand started to move up and down the side of my face. I reached out to the cloth, "Sensei," I called out to him again, a bit louder. The cloth pressed harder against my skin as he rubbed, I tried to break away, but he held me down by my shoulder.  
"I can do it myself!" I shouted, taking ahold of his hand, Kakashi moved his head up to look into mine, I froze as I looked into his eye.  
It was off. Something was off in his stare. "You..." His breath caught in his throat, the cloth dropped to the floor. "What's wrong?" I asked, looked down at him. Kakashi shook his head, "Nothing." He said sharply, rising to his feet. I tilted my head slightly, "Hey," I called out as he turned his back, I caught on to his wrist. Kakashi paused, moving his head back up. He turned to me, his gaze back to normal. "What's got you so upset, Sensei?" I asked, worriedly.  
"It's okay." He whispered, putting his hand on the top of my head. I let my hand drop from his wrist, but to my surprise, Kakashi caught it again. "Let's get out of here." He said, holding onto my arm as we left the bathroom.  
-

"What...what just..." Ino paused, her mouth wide open. Sakura was paralyzed. "That...and...the...but..." Ino put a hand over her mouth. "The tongue..." Sakura breathed out, her blue eyes wide open. Ino shook her head, "That was so unbelievably..." Sakura paused, "Weird!" Ino shrieked, goosebumps rising on her skin.  
Lee stood on the staircase, he hadn't moved, hadn't even blinked. His eyes were on Gaara. The handle of his crutch cracked under the force of his fist, the wound on his arm reopened, blood slowly dried on the bandages. Lee couldn't believe his eyes. No one could.  
-

Kakashi and I walked down the stadium's steps, he still had his hand around my wrist, I couldn't get loose from his grasp. I looked up at Kakashi angrily, he stopped in the middle of the staircase, right behind Guy and Lee.  
My eye's lightened up as soon as I caught a glimpse of their bowl haircuts. I moved to Kakashi's side, he watched me lean towards them. "Hey, Lee!" I shouted towards him, Lee turned his head around instantly, "(Y/N)!" He shouted my name back, turning to me. Sakura jumped up from her seat, turning her head around to us.  
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called to him, "Oh, right!" Kakashi gave a nervous chuckle as he turned to Sakura, "Sorry about that." Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck, "I heard that you were really worried, sorry for not keeping in touch." Kakashi apologized to Sakura, Sakura gave a small sigh. Ino gulped, as she turned her head around. _Uh-oh. Sakura's going to get really mad._ Ino thought, crossing her arms.  
Sakura turned her head away, "I don't mind." Sakura said softly, "That's okay." Sakura kept her head down, Ino turned to her in shock. Sakura moved her head up slightly, staring down at Sasuke, her brow furrowed.  
"(Y/N), are you okay?" Lee asked, I nodded, leaning a bit further. Kakashi pulled me back with jolt, his eyes were on Guy.  
 _It's too hard to see from here._ Sakura thought, biting down on her lower lip.  
"Listen, sensei," Sakura called out, "Hm?" Kakashi looked back to her, I turned my head as well. "You know..." Sakura paused, clearing her throat. "You know the mark on Sasuke's neck?" Sakura began, Kakashi put his other hand in his pocket. "Well...i-is it...?" "It's nothing to worry about." Kakashi said calmly, Sakura turned her head back up to him, her eyes wide. _A mark?_ Ino thought, tilting her head slightly.  
Kakashi turned to Guy. "Eight." He whispered to him, "Eight members of the Anbu Black Ops in an arena this size?" Kakashi held onto my hand tighter, "That's nowhere near enough. What could Lord Hokage be thinking?" Kakashi continued, Guy put his hands on his hips. "Well," Guy said slowly, "Now knowing how the enemy's going to act, the Anbu Black Ops have probably been disbursed and stationed around the key parts of the village." Guy explained quickly, I listened to him intently, Kakashi looked back down at the arena.  
"We can't afford to let our guard down. But, for now, at least," Guy said, turning his head around to Kakashi,  
"We need to watch this match." Guy nodded, Kakashi kept silent. "Kakashi, I'm going to be carefully watching your pupil, to see if your training was any good." Guy's voice picked up,  
"After all, I'm still your rival!" Guy flashed a sparkling grin up to Kakashi, "Hm?" Kakashi raised his brow, looking towards him. "Sorry, you say something?" Kakashi asked, slightly tilting his head.  
"Gnnnnn!" Guy growled angrily, putting his hands on the top of his head.  
 _ **You make me so mad Kakashi! Why do you always have to act so cool?!**_  
-

"You two," Genma called out, "To the middle." Genma said, Sasuke cracked his neck as he walked forward. Gaara had the same grin plastered on his lips as he walked forward. As the two met, Genma took a couple steps back, biting down on his stick. Genma raised his hand.  
" **Begin!** " Echoed through the arena, the crowd became silent instantly.

Sasuke dashed towards Gaara, his fists raised as he ran towards him. Sand exploded from Gaara's gourd, slashing down in the air towards Sasuke. The sand slammed down onto the ground like an arm, grains filled the air as it landed with a loud thud, Sasuke quickly dodged the attack, turning as he watched Gaara.  
 _So this is the sand Kakashi talked about._ Sasuke thought, glaring Gaara down. Sasuke landed at Gaara's side.  
Gaara's chest started to shake, his breath quickening as he stood there. Gaara's breaths soon turned into wheezing, Sasuke watched as Gaara started to bend down, his back arched up. Gaara held the side of his face as he twitched.  
 _What is this freaks problem?_ Sasuke thought, watching him with clenched fists.  
" _Please..._ " Gaara's voice broke as he called out, "I beg you _..._ " Gaara continued talking to no one, Sasuke furrowed his brow as he watched him. _"_ Don't get so _mad_ at me _..."_ Gaara kept the smile on his face as he talked,  
" _Mother._ " Gaara chuckled as the last words bounced off his tongue. _What in the world is he talking about?_ Sasuke stared at Gaara intently, more and more sand poured out of the gourd,  
"Earlier...I know I made you taste such _awful_ blood." Gaara shook violently,  
"I'm so _sorry_...but this time, I'm sure _, that it'll taste so very good._ "  
-

"He's already started talking to _it."_ Kankuro said quietly, a chill running down his spine. "This is dangerous." He warned, Temari turned to him. "I know." She said with a sigh, her hands on her hips. "This is the first time I've seen Gaara get like _that_ before fighting." Temari clenched her fists, "That's how powerful an opponent Sasuke must be." Temari took a step closer to the railing. "Watch." She whispered, Kankuro stayed silent.  
-

"Naruto." Shikamaru called out, the two of them were still on the staircase. Shikamaru's voice echoed through the empty hall, Naruto kept his head down.  
"Do you remember yesterday? What Gaara said?" Shikamaru asked, Naruto's eyes widened. "Well, I do." Shikamaru gave a long sigh. "He said that..." Shikamaru paused, "Well, he said that he'd kill us all. Remember that?" Shikamaru looked over at Naruto, "Well, the reason I'm bringing it up is that he didn't do it." Shikamaru said, looking back up to the hall Gaara came from. "He had the perfect opportunity, but he didn't do it." Shikamaru shook his head, "I don't know. It was like he didn't even see us, or something." Shikamaru said, closing his eyes.  
Naruto pounded his fist down on the concrete stair, Shikamaru quickly turned his head to him. "We're not good enough!" Naruto exclaimed, "Not for that guy." Naruto gave a low growl, Shikamaru crossed his arms.  
"Right now, the only person he's interested in fighting is-"  
"Sasuke." Naruto said his name slowly, cutting Shikamaru off.  
-

Sand fell to the ground as Gaara dropped his arms. The sand shifted and turned, moving like a river around Gaara's feet. It sounded like heavy rain beating down on a rooftop, but instead, it was sand.  
Sasuke quickly pulled out a handful of shuriken from his side, tossing them towards Gaara, Sasuke watched as a wall of sand rose to claim them. Gaara stood still in the middle of the sand vortex, his arms crossed as he watched Sasuke.  
The sand rose, taking the form of a person, the sand shifted as it turned into a replica of Gaara, the shuriken caught into Gaara's fist.  
Temari watched Gaara's moves intently, her eyes wide as she watched. "The sand shield turned into a sand clone." She whispered to her self.  
Sasuke dashed towards Gaara, the clone jumping in front of him. The clone moved it's hand upwards, sending a blast of sand towards Sasuke. Sasuke quickly jumped up to dodge the sand attack, flying down to Gaara. The clone turned up, flinging the shuriken back up at Sasuke, Sasuke dodged them with ease.  
Sasuke twisted his body around in the air, a kick flew down towards the clones hands, sand spraying onto the floor. Sasuke landed on his hands, moving his legs down to the ground. He jumped once again, sending his fist flying. It landed in the middle of the clone's neck.  
Sand formed around Sasuke's arm, keeping it in place. Sasuke gritted his teeth as the clone tried to take control of his arm, he quickly hit the clone in the face with his other palm, the clone broke down quickly. Sasuke moved in towards Gaara. Sending a slow punch straight towards him, the sand rose up to protect him.  
Sasuke gave a small smile.  
Turning on his heel, Sasuke quickly moved behind Gaara. Gaara's eyes widened, the only thing he saw was a flash of black, hearing Sasuke land behind him. Gaara snapped his head around,  
 _He's fast._ Gaara thought, watching Sasuke's speed. _Just like the other one._ Gaara thought back to Lee as he turned his head around. But he was too slow, Sasuke was on top of him again.  
Sasuke's fist crunched down on the side of Gaara's face, the thin armour cracking as Gaara's head turned, the force through Gaara to the ground, the sand tried to move with Gaara's body to soften the blow.

Guy watched Sasuke with awe. _Incredible._ Guy thought, _he's almost as fast as Lee's normal speed._ Guy thought, putting his hands on his hips. Lee's eyes widened. _It is almost like a mirror image of my own Taijutsu._ Lee thought as he watched Sasuke move. I watched the match over Lee's shoulder. _Well, looks like Sasuke's finally getting stronger._ I thought, watching Sasuke's fist land on Gaara. _I guess Kakashi's training wasn't for nothing. But knowing Sasuke,_ I watched with a small sigh. _He found a way to up the ante._

Gaara turned on the ground, sitting as he glared up at Sasuke. Sasuke looked down at him from across the arena, a hand on his hip. "So that's your sand armour, huh." Sasuke glared angrily down at Gaara, "If that's all you've got protecting you." Sasuke began, his fists by his sides. "Well, it'll make it easier to _tear off_ _your limbs_."  
-

Kiba returned from the arena's infirmary, his arms crossed as he came back to the stands. The back of the Anbu member that helped Hinata facing him.  
"Hey." Kiba called out to him, walking closer. "It looks like Hinata's going to make a full recovery." Kiba explained, his voice sounded a bit annoyed. "Oh, is that right?" The Anbu member said, turning to look at Kiba. "Gnnnn..." Akamaru gave a low growl, his bark echoed around the arena. "Hm?" Kiba looked down at Akamaru by his feet, "What's wrong?" Kiba asked, Akamaru kept on barking at the Anbu member. "What, you know this guy?" Kiba said, putting his hands on his hips. "That's impossible." Kiba scoffed, "He's an Anbu Black op." Kiba shook his head, the Anbu member moved closer to them. Akamaru kept barking.  
"Hold on!" Kiba called to him, "I don't get it. What are you talking about? At the examination? But-"  
"He's talking about this." Kabuto said calmly, pushing his palm into the middle of Kiba's chest. Kiba's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell, passed out on the ground next to Kabuto's feet.  
Kabuto looked down at him through the Anbu mask.  
-

"Come on." Sasuke's voice echoed around the arena. He held his hand outward, his palm facing up as he glared down at Gaara. "You aren't scared, are you?" Sasuke called out, starting to get impatient. Gaara kept silent. Sasuke stared down at him. "Fine." Sasuke called out, "If you won't do it, I will."  
Gaara flinched as he saw Sasuke dash towards him, the sand around him moving uneasily. Sasuke ran straight towards him, the sand reaching out to block Sasuke, Sasuke quickly turned, moving behind Gaara.  
The sand quickly reached back towards Sasuke, rising up in the air to attack him. Sasuke quickly wove between them, the sand leaving an opening. Sasuke quickly moved into it. Gaara turned around just in time to see Sasuke bearing down on him. He sent a strong kick into Gaara's chest, flying him backwards, his sand catching him before he hit the ground,  
Sasuke watched, a small grin crossed his lips. "What's the matter _Gaara_?" Sasuke spat his name out like poison.  
"Is that all _you've_ got?" Sasuke called out, watching as Gaara slowly rose to his feet. "You're starting to bore me." Sasuke scoffed, turning his body. "I wonder, what to do first?" Sasuke said as he rose his palm once again,  
" _Maybe I'll cut that tongue of yours out._ " Sasuke hissed as he dashed towards Gaara once again.  
Gaara stood, the sand around him rose. Sasuke turned on his heel, circling around Gaara, watching him intently.

 _His speed's basically the same as Lee's, with his weights removed._ Guy thought, watching as Sasuke continued to circle Gaara. Sakura leaned forward, her mouth wide open as she watched, Gaara's sand defensively moved up. _That's exactly like Lee's Taijutsu!_ Sakura thought with a gasp, _Sasuke has way more speed than he ever did before._

Sasuke pounced on Gaara, his shin slammed into Gaara's forehead. As Gaara fell back, Sasuke quickly gripped onto the straps of his gourd, pulling Gaara close to him, he sent his knee straight into Gaara's stomach. Sasuke heard the sand crunch under Gaara's shirt as he bent.  
Gaara's sand started to move back in towards him, Sasuke quickly jumped out of the way of the incoming waves. Gaara was bent down on the ground.

 _Remarkable, Sasuke._ Lee thought, _really remarkable._ Lee watched as Sasuke turned around Gaara, Gaara tried to move his head around to see where Sasuke was coming from, but he couldn't keep up. _You are truly a genius. A greater ninja than I ever imagined._ Lee's crutch started to bend under his pressure, _how many years did it take me to attain that speed? And you achieved the same result within a month._ Lee watched him intently, his eyes not leaving the arena. Sasuke stood in the middle of the arena. Gaara was still bent on the ground, the sand around him moving in. Gaara looked up at Sasuke, large cracks formed on the armour around his skin.  
 _But it sure looks like it takes a lot of stamina for him to maintain that speed._ Lee thought, his grip loosening on his crutch.

 _What's Gaara going to do now?_ Kankuro thought, his hands in his pockets. _That sand armour uses up too much chakra. It won't last for very much longer._ Kankuro gritted his teeth. Temari couldn't stand still. She turned her head up to the side, looking up at the Kazekage. _Soon._ She thought, trying to steady herself.

"His training." Guy began, "What did you two do?" Guy asked Kakashi, Kakashi looked over at him. "Hm?" Kakashi raised his brow. "To get to such a level, in a mere month," Guy said, shaking his head. "Sasuke has copied Lee's Taijutsu with his Sharingan. So, during the Taijutsu training, I did with Sasuke, I simply had him imagine Lee's movements, and copy it." Kakashi explained with a small shrug. Lee's eyes widened as he heard Kakashi.  
"Sasuke mastered that taijutsu only because he knew Lee. Of course, Sasuke had to work very hard to master it, even with his Sharingan." Kakashi said with a small sigh, Lee furrowed his brow. _But that sand ninja,_ Lee thought, _he is way too tough for that. He cannot be taken down with only that Taijutsu._ Lee shook his head. Guy looked back at Kakashi, _if Kakashi saw the battle between Gaara and Lee,_ Guy thought, staring at Kakashi, _then why did he...?_ Guy squinted his eyes, _after all, that Taijutsu Sasuke learnt from Lee, can't suddenly work against an opponent that even Lee himself can't defeat. But Kakashi must have known this._ Guy continued, scratching his head. _So why did he have Sasuke master only Taijutsu?_

"Hm?" Sasuke watched Gaara rise to his feet. Gaara moved his hands upward, forming a strong seal. Sasuke watched him curiously, the sand around him started to rise. As it came up, it started to change it's form, softening it's edges, making them round. It closed off overhead, casting a shadow down on Gaara as it began to ceal him into a sphere, Gaara in the middle.  
-

"Shikamaru." Naruto called out his name as he stood, Shikamaru turned his head up to him. "We have to go talk to Kakashi-sensei right now!" Naruto exclaimed, Shikamaru furrowed his brow. "What are you planning to do?" He asked Naruto, Naruto turned on his heel as he ran up the stairs.  
"Hey! Wait!" Shikamaru shouted after him, rising to his feet. Naruto broke into a dash, "I've got to stop them!" Naruto shouted, "I've got to stop this match!"  
-

Sasuke ran towards the sphere as it started to close in on itself. He sped up as he saw the gap getting smaller, Sasuke gritted his teeth as he pushed himself.  
Kankuro leaned on the railing, he held onto it with shaking hands. _Gaara couldn't possibly be planning to use that jutsu!_ Kankuro thought, slowly shaking his head.

Sasuke shouted as he threw a punch towards the sand, the small gap getting smaller and smaller.  
As his fist hit the sand, spikes reached out towards him. Sasuke paused, out of breath as it cut into his skin. His fist still on the sand wall.  
A cut ran across his face, a streak of blood running down his chin the same time blood ran from his knuckles. Sasuke quickly jumped away from the sphere, red gashes forming on his hand, like he just punched a wall of concrete. The spikes that struck out from the sphere shifted away, moving back into it. Sasuke watched as he caught his breath, the sharingan burned into his eyes as he stared at the ball.  
 _So he's used all the sand as a shield._ Sasuke thought as he looked to the sphere, _because of the sand's density, I didn't think it could create something this hard._ Sasuke looked down at his fist, cracking his raw knuckles, he grinned at the sting.  
"So he's absolutely protected." Sasuke scoffed.

"The sand..." Lee gasped out, "The sand covered his entire body." Lee watched in shock. Guy put his hands on his hips, _what an effective and annoying defense._ Guy thought as he glared down at it, _will Sasuke be able to get around it?_  
"Kakashi-sensei!" A loud voice shouted out, I turned my head around with Kakashi.  
Naruto stood on the top of the stair case, looking down at us. "Naruto!" I shouted up at him with a smile, Shikamaru stopped next to him, out of breath.  
"What..." Kakashi paused, "What is it Naruto?" He asked, Naruto tried to regain his breath. "Sensei, please!" Naruto shouted towards him, "You just have to stop this match, right away!" Naruto exclaimed, wide eyed. "What?" Kakashi tilted his head, "The guy Sasuke is fighting! He's completely different from the rest of us!" Naruto shouted, waving his hands in the air as he talked. "He's about as far from normal as you can get!" Naruto gulped, "So he's like you?" I scoffed, grinning at my comment. "Yes, but no!" Naruto nodded, pointing at me, I raised my brow.  
"Naruto, slow down!" Ino called out, turning in her seat. "What are you trying to say?" She asked, crossing her arms.  
"Don't you see?! If this match continues, Sasuke will die!"

Sasuke snapped his head up to the top of the sphere. Sand circled around the top, Sasuke squinted his eyes as he tried to see what if formed.  
An eye stared back at him from the top of the sphere.

Temari clenched her fists. _No doubt about it, it's that jutsu._ Temari gulped, _this is bad. Gaara isn't even thinking about our plan at all!_ Temari gritted her teeth. Kankuro gave a low growl.

"You've gotta believe me!" Naruto shouted, his fists clenched as he looked down at Kakashi. Kakashi looked back down to the arena with a sigh.

 _To be continued..._


End file.
